


Starting Over

by heartsdesire456



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Deputy Parrish Is Sheriff's Son, Developing Relationship, Future Fic, M/M, Romance, Secret Identity, Secrets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-03
Updated: 2014-03-03
Packaged: 2018-01-14 09:48:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 29,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1261852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heartsdesire456/pseuds/heartsdesire456
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For a long time, Jordan had dreamed of this day. For most of his life, he had hoped he’d find himself in the place he was sitting, even if he’d never known exactly where that might be. As he looked across the desk in front of him at the man he’d always wondered about, he couldn’t help the nerves fluttering around in his belly. He was having trouble listening he was too busy staring at the man he’d spent the last six months searching for. </p><p>The only thing he could think was that he was really glad he had taken the risk to transfer to a town he had never heard of, regardless of the terrible record of death in the line of duty it boasted,  because not only did he find his <i>father</i>, but he also found that he had a <i>brother</i>.</p><p>All that was left was to work up the nerve to tell them that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Starting Over

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea how this happened. I honestly thought it would be about 10k at the VERY MOST because this was a RANDOM idea I got when I saw a tumblr post about how this situation could be possible. 
> 
> Hopefully SOMEBODY will read this? lol
> 
> Oh yeah if you didn't notice, ~~I named him Andy Parrish. Hope that's okay?~~  
>  EDIT!: I changed it to Jordan but if you catch a stray Andy, let me know!

For a long time, Jordan had dreamed of this day. For most of his life, he had hoped he’d find himself in the place he was sitting, even if he’d never known exactly where that might be. As he looked across the desk in front of him at the man he’d always wondered about, he couldn’t help the nerves fluttering around in his belly. He was having trouble listening he was too busy staring at the man he’d spent the last six months searching for. 

“Well that seems to be just about everything.” Jordan smiled as he reached out and took the badge he was being handed. “Welcome aboard, Son.” Jordan’s stomach flipped at the phrase and he stood up and shook hands with his new boss.

“Thank you, Sheriff Stilinski,” he said, clipping his badge onto his uniform. “I won’t let you down, Sir.”

“I’m sure you won’t.”

As Jordan turned to head out, only to startle when he ran headfirst into a gangly mess of limbs, nearly collapsing when their legs got tangled. “Oh God, ahhh!” the kid squawked until Jordan managed to pull him upright. “Crap, sorry, man!” 

Jordan made sure the kid was on his feet before stepping back. “It’s okay,” he said, and the boy patted his shoulder in thanks, looking over his shoulder.

“Hey, Dad!” he said, sliding past Jordan headed to the Sheriff’s desk. Jordan’s heart skipped a beat and he looked at the back of the boy’s head when he realized what he just said. He had called the Sheriff _dad_.

Sheriff Stilinski rolled his eyes. “I see you already introduced yourself to Deputy Parrish. Good thing he has quick reflexes or you’d be reintroducing your face to the floor.” He waved at Jordan over Stiles’s shoulder. “Thanks for not being pissed at my kid for running into you. I’m sure it’ll happen again,” he joked and Jordan gave a small smile and nod before turning to leave quickly.

The only thing he could think was that he was really glad he had taken the risk to transfer to a town he had never heard of, regardless of the terrible record of death in the line of duty it boasted, because not only did he find his _father_ , but he also found that he had a _brother_.

All that was left was to work up the nerve to tell them that.

~

Jordan Parrish was born in the summer of 1987 in Concord, Massachusetts. His mother, Nancy, had moved all the way from California when she was two months pregnant and got a job working as a lounge singer at a bar. Growing up, Jordan always wondered why he didn’t have a dad like the other kids did, but his mom always just told him he didn’t need one. He always wondered if maybe one of the various men in his mom’s life over the years was going to be his new dad someday, but none of them ever lasted longer than a year before his mom decided she wanted a new guy, or to move to a new town, or to get a new job. By the time Jordan was twelve, he and his mom had lived in eight towns, there had been ten boyfriends for his mom, and she had had seven different jobs. 

It didn’t bother Jordan, really. He always got bored with the guy his mom dated even before she did. They were always boring. He didn’t make friends easily, so a new town was always a new hope for finally meeting friends that actually liked him. His mom’s new jobs meant new places for him to explore while his mom was working and he was left to his own devices. He liked that he and his mom were always each other’s only real obligation and everything else could change at any time.

This all changed when Jordan was fifteen and brought home his first boyfriend to meet his mother.

Jordan had never suspected for a moment his entire life that anything could make his mother love him less. He had never thought for a second that she would be anything but happy for him when he introduced her to the boy who had stolen his heart with a stupid little origami flower passed across his biology textbook in class one day. 

But she wasn’t happy. At all. 

By the time he was sixteen, Jordan was on his own. He worked at a grocery store bagging groceries to pay for the room he rented in the house of an old lady whose only family was her adult daughter that was helping her out. They didn’t ask anything other than for him to pay his rent and clean up after himself. For two years, he worked, went to school, and lived in a room for rent. As soon as he finished high school, he joined the Army because he had nothing better to do.

In the Army, Jordan enjoyed the structure, the organization, and the hard work. He was used to the diligence necessary to work his way to full potential after living on his own since he was sixteen, and he thrived. He trained in IED disposal for a while and worked as a certified HDT in Afghanistan for one year. After two years active duty, he returned to the US and decided that, instead of going to college or requesting to return to active duty, he wanted to be a cop. He attended the Massachusetts State Police Academy, and by the time he was twenty-one, he was finally the cop he wanted to be.

For a while, things were great. Until one of his coworkers caught him out on a date and, when he started to introduce her to his boyfriend, she looked at him like he was something disgusting. After that, things at the station changed drastically. Officially, there was a non-discrimination rule, but he suddenly had more complaints and ‘mistakes’ on his paperwork than ever before. It was only when his boyfriend left him for a good reason – to move back north for good to take care of his aging father – that Jordan wondered again where his father was. He wondered what he was like. He wondered if he was even still living. 

He knew from his mother that his father had never known he existed. She had told him once that she didn’t want his father to stick around, she had just been dating him to have a good time, and she worried that if she told him she was pregnant, he would want to stick around, which wasn’t what she wanted. He never resented his mother for that, because she had to make the choices that would make her happy. But the thought of ‘my own father might be out there somewhere’ dug itself deep into Jordan’s mind and he wanted to _know_.

He decided when he was twenty-three to look for his dad. He tried calling his mother and asking her what his father’s name was, but as soon as he said ‘Hi, mom’, she hung up on him. He knew better than to hope that she would overcome her prejudices after all these years if he called her back. He started to look into his mother’s past. Eventually, after days of researching in his free time, he found that his mom had gotten a speeding ticket three months before he was conceived in a town called Beacon Hills, California. Her address on the ticket was for a town that proved to be about twenty miles away from Beacon Hills. He dug into the records in a questionably legal manner and found the name of the owner of that address at that time was a woman named Destiny Laurence. A little further research got him Destiny Laurence’s last known phone number in California. 

One night, after finally getting up the nerve, he called Destiny Laurence, knowing it was a longshot but hoping all the same. When the woman answered, he asked her if she had known a woman named Nancy Parrish about twenty-three years ago. He discovered this woman had been his mother’s roommate. Even more, when he asked so nervously that his voice shook if she knew the name of the man his mother had been dating at the time, she actually had an answer.

“Oh I remember that boy! His name was John. John Stilinski.”

~

Jordan really liked working at the Beacon Hills Sheriff’s Department. He had taken a gamble at leaving the state police and taking a position as a sheriff’s deputy all the way across the country in a place he’d never been, all just to meet a man who didn’t know he was Jordan’s father, but things had gotten bad after it became known he was gay. He no longer enjoyed working with his coworkers and he had nothing keeping him there. 

It took getting used to the new way of doing things, since it wasn’t common for someone to make the move he did career wise, but he actually liked the differences. Instead of only traffic patrol, he got to do some of the legwork on actual crimes. Mostly it was just getting and reading files for the Sheriff, but it was new and different. 

Also, Beacon Hills was freaking crazy. 

When he joined in September, it was part of a wave of hiring after more than _half_ of the department had died in the line of duty in the last _ten months_. It was hard for them to get new people to want to transfer to Beacon County, the numbers were so high. There had been a whopping two serial killers in that ten month period, as well as a rash of crimes far beyond what a town like Beacon Hills usually faced. However, within weeks of joining, some more strange things began happening. 

Jordan had wanted to just put off talking to Sheriff Stilinski about who he was until he got settled and proved himself as a deputy at the station, but within two months of living in Beacon Hills, the FBI was trying their best to impeach the Sheriff – Jordan was pretty sure it wasn’t just his bias in thinking of him as ‘my dad’ that made him question their reasons a lot – , one of those Agents got attacked by someone and stabbed (If anyone asked, it wasn’t Jordan who messed up the wanted posters but he totally did, that guy was an asshole), there was a mass murderer who escaped, there was a horrifying few days when Stiles went missing, there was the terrible news that Stiles had been diagnosed with something bad that left the Sheriff listless for weeks, there was _Yakuza gang crimes_ , there was a _bombing_ at the station that killed two of their coworkers, Stiles was committed to an institution for a brief stay, and even more people were killed, and somehow Stiles got better and was determined to be healthy again.

All in all, the first three months of Jordan’s time at the Beacon Hills Sheriff’s Department were extremely action packed. 

And then he met Derek Hale.

~

Jordan had seen the Hale kid in the files when he’d been looking for something once. He had been arrested for murdering his sister and some other people, but then subsequently exonerated. He’d also seen the Hale kid when he and the Argent man had been arrested in connection to Yakuza gang dealings, only for them to be exonerated again. He was pretty sure the Hale kid was bad news. 

He also knew that he probably shouldn’t call him ‘kid’, since he was only about one year younger than Jordan.

He had seen him talking to the Sheriff outside of being arrested, so he figured they must know each other. He’d even seen Hale talking to the woman that Jordan still wasn’t sure if she was the Sheriff’s girlfriend or one of the Agents that had been around for a while’s wife. They had the same last name and didn’t look like siblings, but she seemed to spend a lot of time with the Sheriff, too. He knew Hale knew them all for some reason, even if he seemed to be nothing but trouble.

He saw him around town sometimes, but he always seemed to either be alone, or trying to get away from a man with dark hair a little lighter than his own that followed him around a lot. He saw him with a dark haired kid that looked vaguely familiar once or twice, and saw him with a set of twin boys once, but he didn’t think much about it. Nothing was illegal about hanging around teenagers, even if it seemed kinda creepy.

The ‘kinda’ left and ‘creepy’ became a capital C ‘Creepy’ when Jordan caught sight of the taillights of a vehicle pulled off in the woods about a mile from the cliff that overlooked Beacon Hills. He didn’t know of any known ‘makeout spots’ in the woods, but he figured if he’d found a couple of kids sneaking out past curfew for a few gropes and hickeys, he may as well have some fun busting them. He turned off his headlights and pulled off the road onto the path the vehicle had driven on. He stopped however, when he spotted the vehicle up close and realized, even in the dark, he knew that blue jeep. He also recognized the vehicle he hadn’t seen because it was turned off and no lights were showing. 

It was Derek Hale’s SUV. 

Jordan knew they couldn’t have seen him driving up, or heard him over the rumble of the idling jeeep as quietly as he was edging along, so when he realized what he had probably just come across, he decided it was probably best to just leave. He didn’t like it, he wanted to bust the Hale kid for whatever he was doing in the woods in the middle of the night with _Stiles_ , but the truth of the matter was that Sheriff Stilinski had narrowly escaped impeachment, and he was ninety-nine percent positive that, if Stiles was secretly seeing a grown man, the Sheriff would go away for murder after he beat the ever loving shit out of Derek Hale and watched him die in a pool of his own blood. 

He’d seen the Hale kid. He could see the appeal. He didn’t condone it at all – Stiles was barely seventeen and that man was twenty-three – but he didn’t want the Sheriff to go to prison over it. 

He left the same way he came, silently and in the dark, but he knew the next time he saw Derek Hale, he’d definitely give him an unnecessary speeding ticket, that was for sure.

~

It was about two weeks before Christmas when Jordan finally saw Derek Hale. His ridiculous SUV was double parked outside the Outdoor and Sporting Goods store downtown. Jordan pulled up behind him and got out, grabbing what he needed to write him a parking ticket. He was just signing his name off on the ticket when a set of boots walked into the background behind the ticket he was signing. “Um, what’re you doing?” 

Jordan looked up, surprised at how young Derek Hale sounded. He looked like he would have a deep, gruff voice, but it was surprisingly soft. “Bird watching,” he replied and Hale raised an eyebrow. “What does it look like I’m doing?” he asked with an eye roll. He tore off the ticket and handed it to Hale. “Have a nice day, Mr. Hale.”

He turned to walk off, but Hale followed. “Wait, what the hell? What is this for?!” 

Jordan turned around and nodded at his truck. “Double parked,” he said, and Hale raised an eyebrow.

“And that’s worth _one hundred and forty-five dollars?!_ ” he asked with a sarcastic snap to his voice that annoyed Jordan.

“One of them is a handicap spot, so that’s a fine for parking in a handicap space without a permit,” he said and Hale looked down at the ticket again. 

“That’s ridiculous. I was in there for five minutes,” he argued and Jordan rolled his eyes.

“Doesn’t matter, parking laws exist for a reason-“

Hale glared. “Look, I get it. I’m the ‘criminal’, right? I was exonerated, and I really doubt the Sheriff would appreciate knowing his deputies hold prejudices like that,” he said with a pointed look.

Jordan raised an eyebrow right back. “And I doubt the Sheriff would appreciate knowing a twenty-three year old man was ‘parking’ with his underage child near the overlook while he’s on the night shift either,” he said evenly and Hale’s face shut down, expression going blank. “Be glad I really like my boss and don’t want him to go to prison, Hale-“

“You’ve really got it wrong-“

“So you weren’t parked in the woods with Stiles the other night?” he asked lightly, turning to head back to his cruiser. 

“Look, you don’t get it, I know the Sheriff and he knows I know Stiles, Deputy-“

Jordan turned back. “It’s Deputy Parrish. And I really doubt that,” he said, climbing into his car. “Learn how to park it if you’re going to drive it,” he said with a nod to the truck before he backed up and then drove off.

He couldn’t help the smug smile he got when he saw the outraged expression on Derek Hale’s face in his rearview mirror. 

~

Of course, just a few days later, Jordan was helping Sheriff Stilinski look for some files and he came across a whole box of files labeled ‘Hale Fire’. “Hale Fire?” he asked John, and he turned to look, only to cringe.

“That was… one of the worst tragedies we’ve had in Beacon Hills and that’s counting some serial killers,” he said in a sad tone. He walked over and opened the box, pulling out a file to show Jordan. “You know Derek Hale?” he asked, and Jordan nodded.

“Yeah, the one that’s always in trouble, right?”

John made a face. “Well, he gets in the wrong place at the wrong time. He’s not a bad kid,” he defended. “Bad things just happen to him.” He obviously saw Jordan’s disbelief and he gave him a sad smile. “I know, but it’s not me getting soft. He’s friends with my kid. And he’s been a big help to me before,” he confided. “Anyways,” he said, turning back to the file he had opened. “Almost seven years ago now, the Hale family lived in a big mansion in the preserve. It was a huge family all living in one big house. The ‘matriarch’ so to speak was Derek’s mother, Talia Hale. She was the head of the family. His dad even took her name when they got married,” he said and Jordan nodded, showing he followed. “There was Talia, her husband, their four children, her brother, her husband’s sister and her husband, and their two kids.”

“Wow, Hale has a huge family, huh?” Jordan asked and John’s face fell some.

“Had,” he said softly, flipping to another page. Jordan’s blood ran cold when he saw the list of eight death certificates. He did the math and found only three people not listed as dead. “Derek and his older sister were at school. His uncle was the only one at the house to survive and he spent six years in a coma afterwards.”

Jordan paled. “The sister he was accused of murdering?” he asked, remembering that much.

John nodded. “Sadly, that was my son being nosey and making claims without all the facts. Derek was exonerated. Turns out the woman that killed his sister was the same woman who started the fire-“

“It was _arson_?” Jordan asked and John nodded, pulling out another file and opening it on top of the other. 

“Kate Argent,” John said. “I’ve seen a lot of bad things in this town, Jordan, but that woman was a monster more than anybody. It came out that Derek’s younger sister had survived and had been assumed dead after running away after their house burned down, so the true count is seven, not eight, but Kate Argent killed them all just because she didn’t like that family. And worst of all, she used Derek to get to them,” he said, shaking his head as he looked at her photo.

Jordan frowned. “What do you mean?”

John’s jaw clenched. “She was a substitute teacher at his school. He was barely sixteen and she was twenty-three and she seduced him and used him to get information about his house. Add statutory rape to her list of monstrous acts. She got killed though. Unsolved. Not sure anybody was too broken up about it once all of that news came out.”

Jordan groaned. “Oh crap,” he breathed, remembering what he’d accused Derek of. “I’m a terrible person.” John raised an eyebrow and Jordan bit his lip. “I’ve noticed Derek Hale hanging around teenagers a lot and the other day when he was arguing about a parking ticket, I maybe implied that he was a pervert because of all the underage kids he hangs around.”

John winced. “Crap, yeah, that was really bad,” he said, but patted Jordan on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. Derek’s tough. And for the record, he’s not a pervert,” he said with a fond smile. “He’s the last person who would be messing around with underage kids after what happened to him, but I doubt he took it personally.”

Jordan sighed. “Still a horrible person,” he muttered as he started packing up the files to put them back, since that wasn’t what he and John had come in to find in the first place.

~

On Christmas eve, Jordan drove around town for half an hour before he found anywhere open. It was only eight, but everywhere else was closed. He found a diner that seemed to never close and pulled in. When he got inside, the only other person there was none other than Derek Hale. He waved at the waitress and then walked down to the last booth, where Derek was sitting. He slid into the seat across from him, earning an eyebrow raise but nothing else. “Hi, it’s been brought to my attention that I’m a horrible person and I’m really sorry I implied you were sleeping around with a teenager,” he said bluntly, not bothering to beat around the bush.

The other eyebrow raised to meet the first and Derek stared at him like he was insane. “Why?” he asked as if he wasn’t able to hold it in, but then looked angry at himself for asking.

Jordan hesitated. “… I assumed you were having sex with the Sheriff’s underage son, and I was wrong. That’s a pretty serious thing to accuse you of and I feel bad for jumping to conclusions.”

Derek rolled his eyes. “Yeah, well, three fourths of the town thinks I’m a serial killer they just can’t pin it on, so in the realm of ‘things people think’, at least you picked one that didn’t involve a body count.”

Jordan frowned. “Do they really?” he asked, unable to help himself.

Derek eyed him curiously. “You’re new, huh?” he asked, only to be interrupted by the waitress coming back with a burger and fries. 

She eyed Jordan suspiciously, looking at his uniform jacket. “Anything I can get you, deputy?”

“He’s not staying-“

“A cheeseburger would be great, and some coffee.” Derek narrowed his eyes at Jordan, who just smiled back at him. When she left Derek glared at him. Jordan just smiled. “You should eat your fries. They’ll get cold.” 

“I’m pretty sure this is harassment,” Derek said and Jordan rolled his eyes.

“This is called being friendly,” Jordan said, propping his elbows on the table. “I’m Jordan,” he introduced, holding out his hand. “Jordan Parrish.”

Derek eyed his hand suspiciously. “I really don’t care,” he answered and Jordan hummed.

“Well, it’s good that I know your name from police files then, huh?” Derek made a sound that almost passed for a growl. “So, Derek, what’re you doing eating all alone on Christmas eve?” he asked, trying to be nice.

Derek aggressively shoved a fry into his mouth. “If you read my files, you know my whole family died,” he said, clearly trying to startle a reaction from Jordan. 

Jordan hummed. “Thought you had a sister and an uncle?” he asked, not backing down. Derek actually flinched and he felt bad for the sad look that passed over the young man’s eyes.

“Sister lives in South America,” he muttered, dipping a fry in ketchup until it was nearly fully coated. “Mostly hate my uncle. I’ll probably call him and tell him that later. Christmas season and all.”

Jordan winced. “Sorry,” he said, then waved a hand. “No family for me either.”

Derek rolled his eyes. “Oh please, tell me more,” he droned flatly and Jordan actually had to bite back a smile. Hale was an asshole, but he was an amusing one. 

“My mom moved from California to Massachusetts when she was pregnant with me. Never got married, so no dad. Then when I was sixteen she kicked me out, I worked my way through high school, joined the army, and then became a cop. Moved here a few months ago, so no friends yet,” he said, and Derek actually looked up, clearly reluctantly curious. Jordan smiled his best ‘friendly person’ smile. “You know you want to know, just ask,” he said and Derek rolled his eyes.

“Why did your mom kick you out?” he asked obediently and Jordan hesitated.

“Um… oh,” he said, and Derek eyed him expectantly. “I sorta thought you would ask about the cop thing,” he muttered, leaned back slightly.

Derek snorted. “You called me a child molester and now you’re too chicken to even talk about whatever drugs you did to piss off your mom?” he mumbled. “Typical.”

Jordan narrowed his eyes at him. “I assumed you were ignoring consent laws, not molesting children, pretty serious difference. And if you have to know, it wasn’t that I was a rowdy kid, she kicked me out for having a boyfriend,” he said defensively.

Derek froze, then ducked his head. “Oh. Sorry,” he said, and Jordan was surprised to hear he sounded almost genuine. “I didn’t mean… if that’ll get you in trouble-“

“Of course it wouldn’t,” Jordan said, offended on the station’s behalf. “Beacon Hills isn’t that small of a town. It hasn’t come up, but the Sheriff doesn’t stand for discrimination at all, so I don’t have to worry about that here,” he said simply, though his insides warmed some at the memory of the Sheriff mentioning that he didn’t handle anybody ‘bothering someone about how they live their life’. Between his mother and his last job, he hadn’t expected to have the man he hoped to soon tell ‘I’m your son’ to be so accepting and defensive of people’s differences.

“Pretty sure the Sheriff’s kid is at least sort of gay, so it’s good Stilinski’s like that,” Derek said, and Jordan raised a suspicious eyebrow at him. Derek rolled his eyes, eating another fry. “Long story, but he’s always asking gay kids if they find him attractive, and…” Derek made a face, looking uncomfortable. “He looks at me funny when I don’t have a shirt on. Hormonal teenagers are disturbing.”

Jordan snorted, because he could see that easily. He didn’t know Stiles well, but Stiles had no filter when it came to looking at attractive ladies when he saw them, even staring so long he ran into things. If he liked boys too, it wouldn’t be surprising he was the same way. “I can see that,” he said with a chuckle. “Stiles is an adorable kid-“

“Stiles is a pain in the ass,” Derek cut in, rolling his eyes. “I swear, if he wasn’t the Sheriff’s son I’d punch him at least once, just for the joy of the shocked look that would cross his face when I did it. Maybe he’d shut up for two seconds,” he whined, then froze, seeming to realize what he was talking about an who he was talking to. “Not… not that I’d ever hit the Sheriff’s son.”

Jordan laughed openly, unable to help it. “Don’t worry, Derek. I’m pretty sure the Sheriff wants to strangle him sometimes, but then remembers that he loves him, what with being his son and all.”

Derek huffed. “Thank God there’s only one of them. The Sheriff is just as much of a smartass as Stiles, but at least he doesn’t bother me all the time. I’m not sure the world could handle another Stilinski.”

Jordan bit his lip, hiding the smile he couldn’t explain to Derek at that sentiment. When his food came, he let them both eat in silence for a while, knowing that he’d gotten more words out of Derek Hale than most people had ever heard him speak. When Hale finished before he did, he started to look uncomfortable and a little twitchy, eyes going to the door more than a few times. Jordan smiled and gestured with a fry. “Go on, I’ve got this,” he said and Hale hesitated. “Honestly, take it as an apology. Again,” he said and Derek slowly stood up.

“I can pay for my own dinner,” he said gruffly, hands going into the pockets of his leather jacket.

Jordan smiled and shrugged. “I have a good job and you don’t, just accept some kindness.”

Derek rolled his eyes. “You’re so weird,” he said, turning away without another word.

Jordan just snickered at his retreating back. “Keep rolling your eyes like that and they’ll get stuck that way.” Derek glared over his shoulder as he shoved the door open and Jordan couldn’t help but smile at how much he looked like an angry toddler instead of a pissed off man when he did that.

~

Derek didn’t particularly like Stiles. It wasn’t anything he’d done… well besides getting Derek arrested. Twice. For murders he didn’t do.

Okay so maybe Derek knew exactly why he didn’t particularly like Stiles. He was also loud and annoying. And ridiculously hormonal. Derek remembered being seventeen, and yeah, it sucked, but _dear God_ that kid couldn’t hide a single emotion and every time someone got even slightly un-clothed he blushed and made excuses to be somewhere else. Most of all, however, Stiles was a _smart ass_. He was intelligent enough that he could make sarcastic remarks that people didn’t understand and he _knew it_ and enjoyed it. 

Derek knew one day Stiles would get his ass kicked for non-supernatural reasons, so he wasn’t surprised when he was leaving the mall – a failed attempt at shopping for new clothes without being annoyed by every person in the department store – and saw Stiles backing away from a group of three guys, clearly trying to make a break for his jeep before anybody could throw a punch.

Derek wasn’t surprised… but he still couldn’t honestly just walk away and let _Stiles_ get his ass kicked. He didn’t really like him, but Stiles was not only the most physically helpless person he knew, but he was also the one person who had never turned his back on Derek when he needed him after they got over the murder accusations. Everybody else had put themselves ahead of Derek at some point, but Stiles was the one teenager in the bunch that had always at least _tried_ to help Derek every single time he needed him.

Derek had already started speeding up his steps, ready to run if one of them threw a punch before he got to Stiles, when a voice called out from the other side of the lot, from another of the mall’s entrances. “Hey! What’s going on over there?” Derek slowed down, stepping slightly closer to a column, looking to see what was about to happen.

Stiles looked over the shoulder of the guy nearest him and visibly relaxed. Derek watched as a man walked over. “Hey! Hi! It’s so great to see you, man!” Stiles actually looked moments away from hugging the guy when he got to him. 

The man turned and one of the guys scoffed. “Ain’t nothin’. Still three of us and two of you-“

“Two of us and a badge,” the guy said, digging something out of his back pocket. It was only when he flashed the badge that Derek actually looked again and was _shocked_ that it wasn’t just a friend of Stiles’s from school – he looked young enough – but _Deputy Parrish_ in a pair of tight jeans and a brown leather jacket. “I might be off duty but I’m still a Sheriff’s Deputy. Fun fact! My friend Stiles here? Yeah, the Sheriff’s his _dad_ ,” Deputy Parrish said, slinging an arm around Stiles’s shoulder. 

Derek smirked when he saw how twitchy the three guys started to get. The big one still looked like he was about to do something stupid, so Derek sighed and stepped out of his hiding place. He silently walked over, startling Stiles, who visibly jumped when he saw him. “Jesus Christ, Derek! Way to look like a predator!” he said, and Derek rolled his eyes at the visible amusement in Stiles’s eyes at that one. 

“You’ve been saving that one, huh?” he muttered under his breath when he stepped up to Stiles and made a show of ‘noticing’ the guys. “Oh, hey,” he said, playing innocent. “Sorry, you guys busy? I just saw you and Jordan and thought I’d come say hi,” he said, then eyed the boys, who looked very nervous now that the odds were even. 

The smaller one flipped his hands up and backed a few steps away. “Nah man, we’re cool,” he said, then nodded to his friends as he turned and led them back towards the mall entrance. 

When they were gone, Stiles flailed and then flung himself at Deputy Parrish, hugging him out of nowhere. “OH MY GOD YOU SAVED ME!” he squawked. “Oh my God, seriously, I was about to die. And not even an interesting death, just a regular ol’ gay bashing, that would be so lam-“ Stiles immediately slapped a hand over his mouth, eyes flying wide. 

Derek rolled his eyes and glanced over at Deputy Parrish. “Called it,” he mentioned and Deputy Parrish gave him an amused smile, his green eyes twinkling. 

“Yes you did, Derek,” he said, and then reached out to pat Stiles’s shoulder, cutting off his almost-hyperventilating. “Stiles. It’s okay-“

Stiles burst out. “You cannot tell my dad I’m gay… well I’m not, I’m bi, but like… I really need to have that conversation with him myself, hopefully one day he’ll actually listen, not like last time.”

Derek frowned. “Last time you lied to cover your ass for being at a crime scene,” he pointed out and Stiles glared.

“Well excuse me for telling the truth and just happening to use it to my advantage. My dad would be way less bummed about me being into dudes than messing up another crime scene,” he said with a sarcastic snap. He sighed and looked at Deputy Parrish. “So… um, yeah. Please don’t tell anybody cause I don’t know who might have a problem and I don’t want to feel uncomfortable at the station, and-“

Jordan grabbed him by the shoulders. “Stiles!” he said, shaking him slightly. “First off, breathe. Second, dude, trust me, nobody cares. I’m not sure anybody knows, but I’m gay. Like totally gay. Not bi, gay,” he said and Stiles looked surprised. “The point is, your dad gave me the ‘no discrimination in my station’ speech when I started and he doesn’t even know that applies to me. He’ll be cool with it and he’ll probably shoot anybody who says otherwise,” he joked.

Derek snickered. “Besides, everybody knows this, Stiles-“

“Oh God-“

“Derek!” Deputy Parrish chastised. “Don’t say that! That just makes him paranoid-“

“Oh my God EVERYBODY can tell!” Stiles said in a voice so high he nearly squeaked. 

Derek gave him a pointed look. “Stiles, you lick your lips when I take my shirt off-“

Stiles looked horrified. “Oh my GOD, NO!” He covered his ears. “La la lala NOT having this conversation EVER! I deny everything!”

Derek bit back a laugh, knowing it was horribly mean of him, but he couldn’t help it. “Stiles, I’m not accusing you of anything! Just saying, you’re seventeen and have eyes and I’m attractive, I understand-“

“Wow, pretty sure of yourself, Hale,” Deputy Parrish muttered.

“Swear to God, I literally do not like you in any way, shape, or form. I don’t even want to be friends with you. I promise, and you can tell I’m not lying, that I have zero feelings for you, Derek, I swear on my life!” Stiles got out, looking panicky and embarrassed still.

Derek made a face. “Ew, I hope not-“

“Hey, that’s rude! I know I’m not exactly your type, but you could at least be nice about my face,” Stiles yelped, crossing his arms with a grumpy put. 

Derek raised an eyebrow. “Stiles. Really? You really think your face is the problem there? Really?” he asked and Stiles cringed.

“Well, I guess I am annoying and awkward, and I’m kinda weird-“

Deputy Parrish snickered. “Stiles, I think he’s talking about you being _underage_ ,” he said and Stiles nodded.

“Yep, there is that,” he said. “Especially you, what with your whole ‘victim of an ephebophile’ thing and- _oh God, I said that out loud_ ,” Stiles breathed in dawning horror. “Oh my God, Derek, I’m so, so sorry!”

Derek tensed, looking away from Stiles. “It’s… okay.” He closed his eyes, trying not to think about anything other than his own heartbeat, counting them, listening to the pulses inside of his chest. Anything to take his mind off of Stiles’s words. 

“Ah crap, Stiles.” Derek saw Deputy Parrish put a hand on Stiles’s shoulder out of his periphery. “C’mon, you should go.”

“Dude, Jordan, you do not know how bad- God I shouldn’t leave him alone, he’s got so fucking many emotional problems, and I’m half the problem-“ 

“It’s okay. I’ll deal with it. And don’t feel too bad, I did the same thing a couple weeks ago. I’ll handle it.” Derek shuffled, looking down at his feet until he heard the jeep crank up and Deputy Parrish’s footsteps coming back. Derek looked up when he got there and Jordan smiled apologetically. “Sorry. I know it sucks, but he’s just a kid.”

Derek sighed, shaking his head. “I know.” He swallowed back waves of guilt and looked up, watching the jeep lumbering out of the lot. “Honestly… it’s good to see him have regular shit go wrong,” he admitted. “Stiles has had some bad shit happen. A lot of it. And he’s barely seventeen,” he muttered. “I hate seeing kids as messed up as I was at his age.”

Jordan rolled his eyes. “You’re telling me? I spent nearly two years in Afghanistan and I’ve been in law enforcement for three. I hate when it’s kids. And even if I look nearly the same age at Stiles, he’s still a kid to me.” Derek raised an eyebrow when Jordan snickered and ducked his eyes. “Okay, don’t hit me for it, but I kinda called you ‘the Hale kid’ in my head for a few weeks before I realized you’re like a year younger than me.”

Derek scoffed. “Oh my God, I look so much older than you do-“

“I know! But I’m by far the youngest at the station and they all call you ‘The Hale Boy’ or ‘the Hale kid’, and it sticks!” Jordan defended.

Derek sighed dramatically, eyes turning skywards before he looked back at Jordan. “Whatever,” he said and Jordan snorted. Derek actually smiled slightly. “Hey, but really. Thanks for helping Stiles. I was on my way over when you showed up. You got them to leave. I’d have just probably got in a fight.”

Jordan shoved his hands in his pockets and shrugged. “No biggie. Kinda my job. Keeping the peace and all.”

Derek nodded with a mock-serious expression. “You’re very devoted to your profession,” he said, and then nodded down the row. “Seeing as you saved me from getting arrested – again – how about I at least buy you dinner.”

Jordan raised an eyebrow. “Bribing the local law enforcement, huh?” he teased and Derek made a face.

“Repaying someone who saved my ass. I really hate jail,” he stressed, going for joking but realizing as soon as he said it that he sounded pretty earnest. 

Jordan looked unsure, but shrugged. “Yeah, why not. I have nowhere else to be. If nothing else, I can force you to – wait for it, it’s gonna be scary - _talk_.”

Derek gave him a flat look. “I lied. You’re annoying, too-“

“Tough, you invited to buy me dinner, now you’re obligated,” he said, turning to look out at the lot. “So… you got a car? That monstrosity of an SUV? I walked. I live downtown,” he explained.

Derek nodded, and started walking, trusting Deputy Parrish to follow him. As he led the deputy to his car, he could only think to himself, _What the hell are you doing?!_ in a voice that sounded suspiciously like Peter’s. 

~

Jordan was a little surprised to find himself once again sitting across from Derek Hale in the last booth at the same diner as before. This time he and Derek were actually talking. Well, as much as he could get Derek to talk. “Oh my God, just tell me _something_ about yourself,” Jordan groaned finally, flinging a fry across the table at Derek.

Derek gave him a stunned look before snorted and rolling his eyes. “You’re an _officer of the law_ , and older than me, by the way, and you seriously just threw a fry at me-“

“You’re being a butthead, I’m allowed,” Jordan defended, but because of it something truly amazing happened.

Derek _laughed_ suddenly, a big, bright smile crossing his face. It was something Jordan – and he suspected most people – hadn’t seen before. It was kind of breathtaking, if Jordan was honest with himself. Derek had that stoic, broody, ‘bad boy’ thing working for him, but a smiling, laughing Derek Hale was just plain beautiful. “You seriously just called me a butthead? Seriously?” Derek’s laughter died to chuckles, but the warm look in his eyes stuck around, making Jordan feel ridiculously proud of himself.

“Hey, ‘butthead’ is a valid insult, I’ll have you know,” he defended playfully. He ate another fry rather than throwing it and shrugged. “Besides, I got you to laugh,” he said a little more softly than he had intended to.

Derek looked almost startled at himself, and Jordan was sad but not surprised to see the shutters closing over Derek’s face once again, settling into his usual cool, calm, and collected expression. “Well, nobody’s called me a butthead in a really long time.”

Jordan raised an eyebrow. “Oh yeah? Can’t believe Stiles hasn’t recently.”

Derek snorted. “Oh Stiles uses much more creative language than ‘butthead’. Although he does have quite a knack for imagery.”

Jordan grinned. “I’d imagine.”

“Also, way less PG,” Derek pointed out and Jordan smiled bashfully.

“There’s nothing wrong with trying to be more respectful and courteous in your word choices,” he defended and Derek hummed speculatively. “Whatever, you’re a dickface, that better?” Jordan said, and Derek snickered.

“Now you sound like you’re sixteen instead of six,” he drawled. “Good job, Jordan, you’re slowly nearing your actual age.”

Jordan bit back the urge to blush and smile brightly. He kept his voice level as he spoke to Derek in an even tone. “You know, that’s the second time you’ve called me ‘Jordan’ tonight.”

Derek made a face. “I got tired of thinking of you as ‘Deputy Parrish’. Besides, I call everybody else their first name. Well, other than my friends’ parents.” He made a face. “I cannot imagine calling Mrs. McCall ‘Melissa’.”

Jordan smirked. “You mean Mrs. ‘Makes Sheriff Stilinski Blush’?” he joked and Derek rolled his eyes.

“Oh that’s a _great_ idea,” he droned and Jordan scrunched his nose.

“I don’t know. I don’t see why not. Her kid and his kid are best friends. God knows I’d hate to be single at his age,” he said, then hummed. “I still don’t know why he is, really. I mean this in the least creepy way ever, but he’s an attractive man,” Jordan said, then cringed at the thought of Sheriff Stilinski as ‘attractive’, even if he knew it was true. It was hard to think his father was ‘handsome’. “And he’s the Sheriff! It’s not like he’s a bum or something,” he commented.

Derek looked at him with a sad look. “You don’t know, huh?” Jordan raised an eyebrow. “Stiles told me once. Recently, since he got misdiagnosed with it.” Derek cringed. “His mom died of some sort of brain atrophy thing. Causes dementia. That’s what they thought Stiles had a while back because he had all the symptoms she did and it can happen to teenagers. She died when he was eight,” he said softly.

Jordan winced. “Jesus. Oh wow that explains why he was so messed up when Stiles was sick.”

Derek nodded. “Yeah, he thought he was about to watch Stiles slowly lose his mind and then die like his wife did. Stiles says his dad still hasn’t ever really got over that. Neither of them handled it well and they’ve kinda just never talked about it. She died and they stopped talking about her.”

Jordan’s heart sank as he thought about how _strong_ John had managed to be when Stiles was sick. He thought Stiles, his only family that he knew of, was not only dying, but slowly losing the fight to something that horrible, and yet he managed to show up to work most days and do his job. “God. I’m so glad Stiles is okay,” Jordan muttered. He hummed suddenly. “I dunno. She was around a lot while Stiles was sick. Maybe that gave him the boost to finally take a chance at finding somebody again?” he suggested.

Derek made a face. “I really mean this with the most respect, because Sheriff Stilinski has given me plenty of chances… but I really do not want to talk about or think about his love life,” he said and Jordan snorted.

“Alright, I’ll give you that.” Jordan ate another fry, smirking. “You still haven’t told me _anything_ about yourself.” 

Derek sighed playfully. “Alright. What do you want to know?” 

Jordan shrugged. “Whatever you want. Family? Friends? Jobs? Your love life?” he asked, wiggling his eyebrows teasingly.

Derek cringed. “Maybe not the last one?” he tried and Jordan froze. 

Jordan groaned and put a hand over his eyes. “Oh God, I’m a jerk. I’m so sorry.”

Derek looked away, but grumbled. “It’s okay. People forget.” He ruffled his hair and turned back. “Alright. Something about me…” He tapped at the table and then smiled. “When I lived in New York, me and my sister lived together in this apartment building with old people mostly, and I still looked like a little boy sort of, and my sister looked her age, so people thought we were an extremely young couple. They all kept saying we must’ve ran away together when she got pregnant, but they never understood why she didn’t start showing, until we’d been there a year and they couldn’t deny that she wasn’t pregnant.”

Jordan snickered. “Awww did the old ladies try to feed you?”

Derek groaned. “Oh my God, they all made me cookies all the time. I was sixteen and still looked like a little boy, no facial hair, even, big eyes, and they all wanted to keep me.” He cringed. “It was worse because I was really angry at everything so I wanted to be an asshole, but they were just so _nice_ and _old_.”

Jordan laughed. “My neighbor when I was little, in Concord, she like that. As a little kid I stayed with her while my mom worked sometimes and she was the sweetest old lady.” He watched Derek for a moment then smiled. “You still have a sweet face,” he teased and Derek glared. “You don’t scare me with that look. I know your secret, you’re a nice guy.”

Derek leaned back, feigning nonchalance. “Eh, I’m just gonna go knock over a bank in a little while, no big deal,” he said and Jordan snorted.

“You don’t look obvious _at all_ ,” he said with an agreeing nod. “Leather jacket, black shirt, dark jeans, ex-con scowl. Totally gonna knock over a bank.”

Derek shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t really… know me anymore,” he admitted and Jordan raised an eyebrow. Derek met his eyes with an almost uneasy look. “For the past year I’ve been dealing with so much crap. My sister getting killed, my uncle waking up, my little sister not being dead… all this other crap I can’t even begin to get into.” He hesitated a moment before continuing. “It’s been hectic. And I don’t know what I am anymore.”

Jordan leaned forward, giving Derek an encouraging smile. “You seem to be in a better place. That’s a good start.”

Derek managed a small, grateful smile. “I am. I fixed up my place so it’s more habitable. I have a more reasonable car than my last one. I got the kid that was staying with me in a more stable home. My sister is back where she belongs, where she really calls home. Things are more stable than they have been since my sister died.”

Jordan nodded. “I wish I could say it’s easy to be alone for the first time, and maybe it’s easier as an adult, but I was out on my own at sixteen and trust me, it’s hard until you find your footing. But you adapt, you learn to take charge, and you make your own way.”

Derek gave him an almost searching look, staring him in the eye in a way Derek had been reluctant to do so far. “How did you do it? I would’ve been useless at sixteen if I hadn’t had my sister.”

“Well for one, I hadn’t lost everything like you did, Derek,” he said sympathetically. “My mom turned her back on me, but at least she was still _alive_. And I took the direct route to a harsh life. I kept my head down, got a job, finished high school, and joined the army. You built a life for yourselves with your sister and then that got ripped away from you again. I had one hard knock and then just buckled down and did what I had to do. You have been beat down and I really hope that’s over for you, Derek,” he said softly, eyes wide and earnest. “I hope your rough crap is all behind you.”

Derek gave him a skeptical look, though his eyes made him look even younger than he really was. “You say this like _my_ life has been traumatic. You just said you were in the _army_.”

Jordan shrugged. “It’s bad seeing people die, but it’s not like losing your only family in the world like you did with your sister. I’m really glad your little sister ended up being okay.”

Derek stared at him in disbelief. “Seriously? You worry about _my_ crap is worse than watching people die? You’re a cop now too. Hell, you survived all that crap a few months ago, too.”

Jordan smiled in amusement. “You were in that explosion-“

“The way I hear it, you would’ve been there too if you hadn’t been _trying to save a kid who could’ve been holding a bomb_ ,” Derek stressed.

Jordan smirked and crossed his arms. “I looked really hot in that tac outfit,” he said and Derek rolled his eyes. “Derek, come on. This isn’t about me. I know who I am. I’ve dealt with my crap. You’re the one who needs to figure yourself out and I’m trying to reassure you. People function differently. People cope differently. And like you said, I have seen some bad things and I’m desensitized to people dying for a large part. Doesn’t mean you’re weaker just because you have only just started to really heal from your family.”

Derek gave him a surprised and somewhat vulnerable look. “Honestly, I think that’s the first time anybody has argued that I’m bullshitting when I tried to say I’m fine.”

Jordan smiled sadly. “Observant eyes, genuine interest, and not being afraid of you. Probably a new combination for you.” Derek gave him a long look that Jordan didn’t shy away from until the waitress came to bring them their check. 

When they left, Jordan walked with Derek to his truck, but stopped. Derek nodded to the truck. “You don’t need a ride?” he asked and Jordan shook his head.

“I’ll walk. After all that grease, I could use it,” he said, watching Derek toss his keys from hand to hand. “Thanks for dinner,” he said and Derek shrugged.

“Thanks for helping out with Stiles,” he said, then opened the door. Jordan turned to walk away, but Derek called his name. “Hey Jordan!” Jordan turned back and Derek was standing with his door open. “So. Genuine interest?” he asked with a guarded expression.

Jordan blushed and bit his lip, flapping his elbows in lieu of shrugging since his hands were in his pockets. “Well, yeah, if that’s okay,” he muttered with a little, shy smile. 

Derek smirked, tapping on the frame beside the door. “Might be,” he said, flashing a small grin as he climbed into the car. Jordan laughed and rolled his eyes before turning to walk away without gratifying that with a response.

~

It became a habit of theirs. Often in the early morning hours when Jordan was leaving the late shift, he would meet Derek at the diner and they would eat dinner. Sometimes they bought their own dinner, but often they ended up trading off who bought dinner for both of them. They always made excuses about whose turn it was and why. When Jordan finally bought a pickup truck, deciding that even if things went south with Sheriff Stilinski, he wanted to stay in Beacon Hills long term, he bought dinner to ‘celebrate’. When Derek got a job painting houses, he paid in celebration. 

He also started showing up with spots of paint on his hands around his nail beds that wouldn’t come off. Jordan kind of found it distracting.

Hanging out with Derek was pretty fun. He had made more friends through work, but with Derek it was different and they both knew it. Derek still spent most of his time hanging out with some of the local teenagers – Jordan and the Sheriff seemed to be the only ones at the station who didn’t think he was dealing drugs to them – so Jordan wasn’t surprised when Sheriff Stilinski invited him to come watch the first lacrosse game of the season and, upon arrival, he saw Derek was already there. Derek was sitting between a set of twins and he looked less than thrilled by them talking across him. When Jordan sat beside Sheriff Stilinski and got a hug from Melissa, he glanced down and saw Derek had noticed him. He smiled and waved, getting an exasperated, overdramatic sigh and pout as Derek gestured to the two on either side of him. Jordan couldn’t help but laugh at Derek’s face. 

“Who’re you grinning like that at? See a girl you know?” Melissa asked, and Jordan snapped back around, blushing when he saw the expectant look no her face. 

“No ma’am,” he said, clearing his throat. “I was just waving at a friend.”

She smirked. “A friend, huh?”

He laughed and rolled his eyes bashfully. “Alright, maybe we flirt some, but for now he’s just a friend.”

Sheriff Stilinski turned back from a conversation with someone above them and leaned forward to look around them. “Why is Derek making puppy eyes this direction?” he asked Melissa, and Jordan turned to see what they were looking at and, sure enough, Derek was sending him a pleading look. Jordan saw the moment Derek realized all three of them were looking though because he stopped and turned back forward, the tips of his ears turning red.

Jordan laughed. “I should go see what he wants,” Jordan said, standing. 

Melissa and Sheriff Stilinski shared a look he wasn’t able to decipher and she looked up. “You were talking about Derek Hale?” she asked and Jordan nodded, smiling shyly.

“Yeah, we’re friends,” he said simply, stepping down a few bleacher levels and walking along the row until he got to the empty spot in front of Derek and the two teenagers.

Derek smiled. “Hey, I didn’t expect to see you at a lacrosse game,” he said in greeting and Jordan smirked.

“Sheriff invited me. He’s really proud of Stiles overcoming all his problems to play this season, so soon after all of his issues,” he said and Derek nodded.

“Yeah, he was really excited to play. He had counted himself out but the doctor said he’s cleared for it-“

“Who’re you?” one of the kids interrupted bluntly. The other one looked Jordan over and smirked.

“You’re cute, do you go here?” he asked and Jordan made a face.

“I’m twenty-four and a sheriff’s deputy, so no, I don’t,” he said and the kid looked put out.

“Damn, why are all the hot guys too old?” he asked, sighing.

Derek elbowed him, glaring. “Don’t be an ass.”

Jordan snickered and sat down on the seat sideways so he could look up at Derek. “Are you gonna introduce me?”

Derek sighed dramatically. “Ethan, Aiden, this is Deputy Parrish. Jordan, ignore everything they say, I don’t even like them, they just decided to terrorize me instead of Lydia because… actually I don’t know why,” he said, then nodded a whole set of bleachers away at a pretty redheaded girl. “I think they’re scared of her.”

Ethan nodded. “Yep. Well I am. Aiden is just mad she won’t have sex with him anymore. I told him she would figure out he’s the ugly twin eventually,” he said, winking. “Has anybody ever told you you have eyes like a Disney princess?” he asked and Jordan snorted. “Oh, I’m sorry, does it bother you that a boy is flirting with you?” the kid drawled with a warning look.

Jordan smirked. “Kinda, I like men, not boys. Doesn’t bother me one bit when Derek flirts with me,” he teased and Derek’s eyes widened in panic some before a pink flush spread across his cheeks when the twins both whipped around to stare at him in shock. 

“Oh my God, you mean I could’ve got with _this_?!” Ethan asked, gesturing to Derek, who huffed and glared to him.

“No it does not. Not everybody who is into guys has to want to get with you, Ethan. Besides, what happened to winning back your boyfriend-“

“Well yeah, but sex with a hot guy while I’m trying wouldn’t hurt-“

“Really not happening. Ever. No matter what. Even if you were the last other human on earth,” Derek stressed. “I _hate_ you, remember?”

Aiden shrugged. “Hate sex is good, ask Lydia-“

“Okay and I’m going to leave now,” Jordan interrupted, standing up. Derek gave him a betrayed look and Jordan laughed. “Awww, I’m sorry,” he said, reaching out to ruffle Derek’s hair, smiling when Derek slapped his hand away with a glare. 

“You’re a horrible person, Jordan Parrish,” Derek said flatly and Jordan smirked, winking.

“And yet you choose to spend time with me, Derek,” he said, waving over his shoulder as he headed back to his seat. When he sat down beside Melissa, she and Sheriff Stilinski both gave him amused looks. He sighed. “What? Is this the part where you call Derek a hoodlum? I’ve heard that from half the waitresses at the diner.”

Sheriff Stilinski chuckled. “No, he’s not that bad of a kid,” he said, and Melissa nodded.

“Of course not but… really? Derek?” she asked and Jordan frowned. “No, I don’t mean that in a bad way really… just. Crap, John?”

He sighed. “Look, Derek’s an alright kid, but he’s a little… damaged. He has some problems. And there’s plenty of nice young guys in this town, you know? I’m sure you could find someone less difficult.”

Jordan raised an eyebrow but turned back to the field. “Thanks for the concern,” he said simply, trying not to think what it meant that _John_ was warning him away from Derek. On one hand, a small part of him was so giddy at the idea that, even though he didn’t know it, John was being the stereotypical ‘dad looking out for his kid’s happiness’. On the other hand, however, he didn’t feel like anything he’d learned about Derek made him seem too damaged. Yes, Derek had issues, but so did Jordan. He and Derek had talked a lot and he really felt like Derek trusted him in a way he hadn’t been trusted by anybody in a long time. 

~

After the game – during which Stiles actually played for half of it – Jordan stood with the Sheriff and Melissa as they greeted Stiles and his two friends with hugs and high fives. “Derek! Did you see! Me and Stiles worked together and scored twice!” Stiles’s friend, Scott, said and Jordan looked over Melissa’s shoulder to see Derek and the two teenagers walking over. 

Derek nodded. “Nice job, even if Stiles tripped twice,” he said and Stiles made a face at him. 

John rolled his eyes and put a hand on Jordan’s shoulder. “Alright, alright. Don’t you two scare off Jordan,” he joked and Derek gave Jordan a small smile.

“It won’t work, trust me, I tried,” he joked and Jordan poked his tongue out at him, earning an amused look from John. Derek dug in his pocket and tossed something to Stiles. “Scott called and said the jeep died. You take mine and meet us at the diner. Celebration dinner on me,” he said, and Stiles looked at the keys in surprise.

“You’re letting me drive your Toyota?”

Derek sighed dramatically. “It’s you or Scott, and at least you still drive a vehicle with four wheels.”

Scott frowned. “Where’re you going?” he asked and Derek gestured to the two on either side of him.

“You, Stiles, Isaac, and them, that’s a full load. I’ll just ride with Jordan,” he said, and turning a wide-eyed look to Jordan. “Right?” 

Jordan snickered, but nodded. “Sure thing. I’ll even let you ride in the cab instead of in tie you up in the bed,” he joked and Stiles and Scott both made horrified and scandalized sounds. Jordan flushed and rolled his eyes. “Oh my God, it was a dog joke you little perverts,” he said, and John failed to cover a snort. Jordan gave him a flat look and he choked on a giggle.

“What?! I can’t help it, it sounded-“

“Ignore him,” Melissa said, flopping a hand over John’s mouth. “He spends too much time with teenage boys,” he said and Jordan just shook his head.

“And he’s supposed to be my boss,” he joked before turning back to Derek, nodding towards the lot. “Come on, if we get there early we can sit in our corner and leave these losers to fend for themselves,” he said, hooking his arm around Derek’s shoulders, leading him away while the boys made offended noises behind them.

~

When they left the diner, Derek let the boys drive his car home and he came over to Jordan, looking nervous. “If I said I want to show you something, will you let me have your keys and trust me?” he asked and Jordan hesitated, looking at Derek’s uneasy expression. However, he handed over the keys and went to get in the passenger seat when Derek took them. 

“Can I ask what you want to show me?” Jordan asked as Derek drove them out of the parking lot.

Derek bit his lip, tapping his fingers on the wheel. “I’d rather wait. Is that okay?” he asked in a quiet tone, and Jordan nodded.

“Yeah, whatever you need,” he said, staying quiet while Derek drove. They drove out of town, up into the hills. When they got to the highway that rounded the edge of the preserve, Jordan looked over at Derek with a slight bit of worry. “Derek, what’s going on?” he asked softly. Derek looked more and more tense and nervous the further they got from the city limits. When they turned off the road, Jordan watched him closely. “Derek?”

Derek was nearly chewing on his bottom lip he was worrying it so badly. “You’ll see soon,” he said, and Jordan could only hear how wrecked Derek’s voice sounded. Jordan wanted to reach out and take Derek’s hand to give him strength, but he could sense Derek wouldn’t be open to it. He watched as they drove through the woods on a surprisingly level path. It didn’t look like the average hunters’ ATV trail. It was level enough, though it had clearly not been kept up lately. It was only when they came into a clearing and the headlights swept across the dark, charred, looming ruins of a house that Jordan’s heart stopped and he realized where they were.

“Oh Derek,” he breathed. Derek shut off the truck and looked up at the house through the windshield before he finally got out. Jordan got out and slowly walked around the front to meet him. Derek stood looking up at the house and Jordan walked over, giving into his urge to put a hand on Derek’s shoulder.

Derek looked over and nodded at the house. “My family’s house,” he said and Jordan nodded. Derek smiled sadly. “I actually was squatting here for a few months last year,” he admitted. “When I came back looking for my sister and got here too late, I hid out here. I wanted to find out who killed her but didn’t want to be suspicious.” He chuckled dryly. “Stiles and Scott came looking for Scott’s inhaler he’d dropped in the woods and found me. I scared them off, but next thing I knew, they had accused me of killing her.” Jordan knew all of this but he waited anyways. Derek looked at Jordan and gave him a long look. “But you know all that,” he said and Jordan smiled encouragingly. “Come on,” he said, reaching down to take Jordan’s hand, leading him up to the house. 

Jordan followed him, eyeing the ruins nervously as they climbed up on the porch. “Isn’t this place condemned and dangerous?”

Derek shrugged. “It’s stable enough to show you around.” He led Jordan inside the house – the county had put a lock on the door, but the door didn’t even latch so it was pretty pointless – and stopped in the foyer. 

Jordan looked around, trying to imagine what it must’ve looked like in its splendor. He could see the remains of broken furniture in one room and walked closer. The back of the house had fallen in, and there were holes all in the roof and floors, but he could still get a sense of how it had probably looked. “I bet it was beautiful when you were little,” he said softly, turning back to Derek.

Derek nodded, following him into the room. “Yeah. It was in my family for several generations. This house… it had Hale’s living in it for about eighty years.” He shook his head. “And then I happened,” he said softly. He walked back out into the foyer and Jordan followed. Derek walked to the stairs and climbed up a few before sitting. Jordan went to sit beside him and Derek rested his elbows on his knees, putting his clasped hands to his mouth, biting at his knuckle lightly.

Jordan lightly rested his hand on Derek’s shoulder. “You know that wasn’t your fault, Derek,” he said softly and Derek chuckled humorlessly. 

“Today makes exactly seven years,” he said softly and Jordan suddenly realized _why_ Derek had wanted to come to the house. “Seven years ago, I got up, got ready for school, ate breakfast with my family, and left without even thinking that anything could go wrong. And then me and Laura had to stay after school and, by the time we got back, we could see the smoke in the sky as soon as we got out of town. We thought maybe there was a forest fire, so we rushed home. Laura sped like crazy. And then the driveway was rutted and weird. We figured the forestry department had driven a truck with a bulldozer on it up our driveway to get to the fire. We still hadn’t even allowed the thought that the house was what was on fire.” Derek looked around the foyer. 

"Then when we got close enough to see the fire trucks and realized it was regular fire trucks, not a forestry department vehicle, we realized the house was burning. By then it was out of control. We got up almost to the yard and we got stopped. When Laura got out she tried to run towards the house but a deputy stopped her and was trying to talk to her. Nobody saw me and I ran past a lot of them. I saw the ambulance doors shutting and it drove past us, but I could hear firefighters yelling about trying to get in before it went because there were-“ Derek’s throat clicked and Jordan’s chest tightened. “There were still people inside. I tried to run to the house. I don’t know what I thought I was gonna do, but I just _knew_ I had to help.” He gave a broken chuckle. “It was actually Stilinski that caught me. I was strong, but he was stronger. He pulled me back even though I was kicking and screaming. Then when I finally stopped fighting he pulled me down to the ground and I just screamed and screamed because I knew when the firefighters stopped trying to get into the house that it was too late. I knew people were gone. I didn’t know how many though,” he said, shaking his head.

Jordan leaned closer and Derek dropped his head, gripping at the back of his hair, feet bouncing against the step. “At the station, Laura and I were in shock. We had no idea what was going on but we knew people were dead. And Stilinski was the one who took me and Laura into the then-Sheriff’s office and he stood there beside Laura when the Sheriff told us that everybody but Uncle Peter was dead. Laura’s knees gave out and Stilinski caught her and I just sat down in the chair and I just… I was so numb. Laura was eighteen. I was barely seventeen.” He sucked in a breath. “And we were alone. They didn’t know if Peter would live. And even when he did, he was completely catatonic.” Derek looked up, staring into space. “I found out it had been Kate because when we had a funeral for everybody, she sent flowers that-“ Derek hesitated. “Flowers everybody in my family is allergic too. A horrible genetic allergy she knew about. And the note said ‘It’s almost pathetic how easy you were to break, sugar’.” Derek shook his head. “I didn’t tell Laura. She never knew. She died not knowing. Nobody knew me and Kate- nobody knew anything about it but me. Not until Sheriff Stilinski reopened the case after my sister died.”

Jordan let out a pained breath and slid his hand to rest between Derek’s shoulders, leaning closer. “Derek. Please don’t blame yourself for that. What she did? Even before the fire, just what she did with you was horrible. You may have been sixteen and consenting, but she was a grown woman who knew better,” he said and Derek snorted.

“I know that. I knew then that I shouldn’t be with her. I just… I was already so damaged,” he said in a weak voice. “Jordan, that isn’t even the first thing to fuck me up,” he said and Jordan’s stomach churned at the thought of something having happened _before_ that. Derek looked over at him. “Ever happen to come across the file for a girl named Paige that was found dead in the woods?” he asked and Jordan shook his head. Derek held his gaze when he spoke again. “When I was fifteen, there was a girl at school that I had the biggest crush on. She hated me, so I teased her all the time. One day she finally reacted and I just kept picking at her and bugging her until she realized I was teasing her because I liked her and I realized she liked me back. She was the first girl I ever dated,” Derek said. “You know how it is when you’re that young and you fall in love so hard over the tiniest things like smiling at each other or sneaking kisses in the music classroom,” he said with a sad and distant smile. Jordan nodded, remembering that feeling. Derek looked away, shaking his head. “We were ridiculous over each other. Those stupid kids who would sneak out and go make out in the woods or sneak into the school at night to meet up and just be together.” Derek’s smile faded. “One night she was supposed to meet me in the school. Instead, she got attacked on the way there. Some animal,” he said and the truth dawned on Jordan with a horrible realization. Derek ran a hand over his face. “She died. It dragged her into the woods, and she died. They found her body the next day.” Derek snorted. “First girl I loved got killed because of me. Second woman I loved murdered my family.”

Jordan stroked at his back. “I’m so sorry that happened to you, Derek. God, when Sheriff Stilinski said bad things seemed to just happen to you, I didn’t… well I didn’t realize that.”

Derek hung his head. “After Laura and I left, I didn’t trust anybody. I didn’t date anybody. It’s hard to be attracted to someone when your points of reference are death or more death.” He ran a hand over his face. “I tried the one-night-stand thing and it just wasn’t me. I just didn’t like it. I think Laura did it with no problem, but I just couldn’t. I tried twice and it just made me feel paranoid and guilty. So I decided I’d just leave it alone.” He snorted. “And then last fall happened.”

Jordan frowned. “Don’t tell me there was another-“

“ _Worst_ one,” Derek said in a harsh tone, voice raw and tight. “Jennifer. Or Julia. Whatever the hell her name really was,” he grumbled.

Jordan paled when he realized who Derek meant. “Oh God, the serial killer?” he asked and Derek nodded, rubbing his hands over his face.

“She was so pretty and I was just drawn to her instantly. She was so _charming_. She never seemed threatening or scary. Just warm and nice. And then I didn’t even realize it until a few days later, but she- she sort of…” Derek groaned. “God, I sound so stupid for falling for it, but she sort of took advantage of me.”

“No shit, she was killing people-“

“I mean sexually,” Derek admitted in a small voice and Jordan’s hand stilled. Derek looked down at his shoes. “I got hurt. I was in an accident. And I got to her and she took me home. I didn’t want to go to a hospital, because I’m stubborn, but I was bleeding and I was barely conscious. I remember telling her I needed to leave. I wanted to go find Scott and Isaac and another friend of ours who died in that whole ordeal. I wanted to go make sure they were okay. I was pretty disoriented,” he said simply. “And instead, she convinced me to stay. I don’t remember what she said to get me to stay, but the next thing I remember we were in bed together. I was still barely able to even stay awake but we had sex. The next day I woke up with a clearer head, but I didn’t really think about what had happened until a few days after when I had time to realize I don’t even know why we had sex or how she got me to even get in bed with her in the shape I was in.”

“Jesus, Derek,” Jordan whispered. “And then it turned out she killed all those people.”

Derek nodded. “And then somebody killed her.” He snorted. “My romantic history is full of death and questionable consent.”

Jordan rested his free hand on Derek’s wrist and squeezed supportively. “Thank you for trusting me with this,” he said and Derek turned to look at him. He could see the vulnerability in Derek’s eyes again. “It means a lot that you could tell me about your past. I’m sorry it had to hurt to talk about.”

Derek swallowed visibly. “You have to know why I’m- why I’m telling you all this.” Jordan waited and Derek turned his hand over, sliding his fingers to lace with Jordan’s on his knee. “You- you drew me in. Something about you made me feel like I could trust you. You’re amusing, and a smartass, and you can understand all my fucked up issues.” He looked Jordan in the eyes and sighed. “And God, you’re beautiful,” he said and Jordan’s insides squirmed. “I could look at you all the time, you’re so beautiful,” he breathed. “But… but that scares me. Because I felt like I clearly can’t be trusted to judge people for who they are. That’s why I spent all this time waiting instead of going for it when you first let me know you were interested.”

Jordan tilted his head and smiled nervously. “What has the waiting told you?”

Derek smiled softly, his smile finally meeting his eyes. “That much smarter people than me trust you. You’re loyal to Sheriff Stilinski, and he’s a great judge of character. And Stiles likes you, and Stiles is pretty much always right.”

Jordan nodded, biting his lip. “So this was putting all your baggage up front to see if it scares me away before you finally take that leap, huh?” he asked and Derek nodded.

“You haven’t ran yet,” Derek commented, looking cautiously hopeful.

Jordan tightened his hold on Derek’s hand and slid his other from Derek’s shoulder to the back of his neck. “I’m twenty-four and I spent sixteen years with a mother who was too free spirited for any real stability. When I brought home a boy she kicked me out. I kept myself going and in high school for two years and then joined the army. I served in Afghanistan. I disarmed IEDs and sometimes we missed some and people died because of it. I’ve killed people. I’ve watched people get blown up. I came home and became a state police officer, only to have to give up that job because it came out I was gay and my department was full of homophobes. I moved across the country to a town nobody’s heard of in Northern California because the Sheriff’s Department with one of the highest ‘death in the line of duty’ rates in the country needed deputies. Since I’ve been here, I’ve dealt with multiple serial killers, mass murderers, almost had to use my HDT skills without the proper gear and materials, and had my boss almost get impeached. That’s ignoring some of my baggage I just don’t have time for right now.” 

He smiled slowly. “And in all my life, the closest to loving someone I’ve ever come before you is the first boy that won my heart with paper flowers over my chemistry book,” he whispered, thumb stroking the side of Derek’s neck. “Nobody has made me feel as comfortable as you do, Derek Hale.” He looked into Derek’s expressive eyes as they showed pain, fear, anxiety, and _hope_. “You make me feel like I can just relax and unwind after so long of living ready to jump at a moment’s notice. You make me want to just calm down and _be_.” He squeezed Derek’s hand and leaned closer, faces nearly touching. “I won’t jump the gun and say I’m in love with you, Derek, because I can’t be sure.” He stroked his jaw. “But I’ve been falling since the first time you got smart with me.”

Derek smiled. “I started falling the night you harassed me at the diner the first time just to apologize. Nobody had never tried so hard to be nice to me since everybody has preconceived notions. But you didn’t. You were unwilling to just take me at face value. You waited to know me before you made a judgment. I wanted to wait until I was sure though, because jumping at a chance for love has only ever fucked me over before.” He smiled, tilting his head as he looked at Jordan. “I really feel like it was worth the wait,” he whispered before closing the miniscule gap still between them to press his lips to Jordan’s. 

The kiss stayed chaste and almost shy, but when Derek finally pulled away Jordan’s smile grew the second their lips parted. “Well worth the wait,” Jordan agreed, darting in to kiss him sweetly once more. He pulled at Derek’s hand and then stood up. “Come on. It’s late. Let’s finish this discussion on the way back to town?” he suggested, and Derek nodded, letting Jordan pull him to his feet. 

“I’d like that,” Derek said, and Jordan saw him look around the house once more before they left, hand in hand, and went back to his truck.

When they drove away from the house, Derek didn’t look back a single time, Jordan noticed. Instead, his eyes were on Jordan the whole time he drove.

~

When Jordan got off work, he couldn’t help but smile as he gathered his things and got ready to leave. He and Derek had been spending a lot of time together both hanging out at the diner and in doing things around town, but he had a real, honest to God plan for tonight. It was an unseasonably warm night – which was still pretty cool, but not COLD – and it was clear enough that he knew the perfect outdoor activity for them. He just had to go home, get some things, and then go pick up Derek from his place.

“Where’s the fire, dude?” a voice asked and Jordan turned from gathering his jacket and smiled when he saw Stiles had paused on his way to his dad’s office. 

“Hey, Stiles,” Jordan said, picking up his keys off the desk. “Just trying to hurry up and get out of here. I’ve got plans.”

Stiles hummed. “Oh yeah? Anything good?” he asked politely and Jordan grinned.

“Don’t say anything if he happens to text you or anything, but I’ve got a surprise date planned. I’m going to get some things and then pick Derek up,” he said and Stiles snorted.

“Ew, I don’t need to hear about Derek and you and having to pick up-“

“Don’t say sex toys, it’s _not_ a sex thing,” Jordan chastised and Stiles snickered.

“Yeah, because it was Derek’s wonderful conversation skills that drew you in, sure,” he teased, shaking his head. “Alright, you crazy kids have a nice time,” he said and Jordan laughed.

“See ya, old timer,” he replied, already on his way past Stiles and out of the station before Stiles could reply.

After briefly stopping by his house to get the supplies and a quick run through to pick up some food, Jordan made his way to Derek’s place, not calling him to tell him he was coming until he was almost there. By the time Derek got downstairs, Jordan was checking the dark skies to be sure the weather was cooperating. As such, Derek opening the passenger door and climbing in surprised him. “Hey, what’s going on?” Derek asked, and Jordan smirked.

“We, Mr. Hale, are going on a real, actual, honest to God date,” he said and Derek raised a skeptical eyebrow.

“You gave me a five minute warning for our first ‘real’ date?” he asked and Jordan just grinned. “Fine, where are we going?” Derek asked.

Jordan chuckled and put the truck in gear. “You’ll see,” he said, and Derek rolled his eyes but didn’t say anything as they drove. It wasn’t until Jordan drove out of town and took them up into the hills that Derek looked at him curiously.

“Are you taking me into the woods to kill me? Cause I’m pretty sure they’ll notice I’m missing,” Derek drawled and Jordan shot him a look. Derek smiled in reply. “Picnic?” 

Jordan shook his head, but then stopped. “Okay, well that’s part of it,” he said, turning down a dirt road, driving around a few twists and turns before the road ran out and there was a gate blocking them from what looked like a pasture ahead of them. “Be right back,” he said, hopping out. He ran around and unlocked and unchained the gate, pushing it open. He came back and drove them through, then went back to go close and relock the gate. When he got back in the truck, Derek looked around as they drove along a path until Jordan pulled the truck off the road and stopped it just before the pasture slowed down to a pond, across which Derek could see cows on the other side. 

“Please tell me this isn’t some weird, satanic livestock sacrifice thing, cause I cannot handle that,” Derek said and Jordan rolled his eyes at him. 

“No, you jackass,” he said, then leaned across the seat to peck Derek’s lips. “I had to come up here about somebody stealing bags of feed out of the farmer’s barn and noticed it’s about the most wide open place I’ve seen around here where I could park the truck, since there’s so much forest. And we’re far enough from town that you can actually see the stars,” he said. He saw when Derek seemed to get it because surprise crossed his features before a small smile played on his lips.

“So we’re having a picnic under the star,” he said, looking surprised and slightly bashful. “That’s kind of really cheesy,” he said and Jordan laughed.

“Yep! But I figured you would appreciate my lame attempts at romance,” he said with a shrug. He opened his door and climbed out without another word. “Oh yeah, watch that you don’t step in something you won’t ever get off your shoes!” he called, skipping around a cow patty on his way to the back of the truck.

Derek snorted on the other side. “Oh wow, Jordan, so romantic. Make sure you find a manure-free spot for our picnic blanket.”

Jordan met him at the tailgate and smirked. “No need.” He turned and lowered the tail gate, and then hopped up into the truck bed. “Voila!” Jordan gestured to the balled up blankets and quilts and some big, fluffy pillows. “Insta-stargazing-slash-picnicking surface!” He walked over and shuffled things around, flattening out the thicker duvet to cover the whole truck bed and then shoved some of the pillows and blankets out of the way to get the bags of food before plopping down on a big pillow. He looked at Derek, and patted the mess of pillows and blankets. “Come on, grab a pillow, I’ve got an assload of doughnuts and stuff.”

Derek hopped up into the truck and crawled over, plopping on a pillow. “Doughnuts for dinner?” he asked with a small smile and Jordan blushed.

“I forgot to call in something nicer and I figured burgers in a cow pasture is just morally wrong,” he admitted and Derek barked out a surprised laugh. “So yes. Doughnuts and some pastries and soda. Major sugar highs are potentially in our future,” he said and Derek just shook his head and kicked off his boots before pulling his feet under him, leaning over as he sat cross legged to grab the bag of desserts and take a look.

“I can honestly say, this is the sweetest thing anybody’s ever did for me, by both meanings of the word,” he said and Jordan groaned.

“Oh that was so lame, Derek!”

Derek huffed and rolled his eyes. “Shut up, you like it,” he teased, then pulled out a powdered doughnut before offering the bag back to Jordan. “At least I didn’t go for the obvious ‘cops like doughnuts’ joke,” he pointed out.

Jordan rolled his eyes. “Oh thank you for sparing me the lameness,” he teased, then dug into the bag, looking for his own favorite chocolate glazed doughnut. 

It wasn’t until after they had annihilated the pastries that they ended up shifting closer, pillows piled together and blankets wrapped around them as they lay side by side, pointing out shapes in the stars. Jordan twisted his head and pointed up. “That looks like… a goldfish,” he said, and Derek snorted.

“I’m pretty sure that’s supposed to be a bear,” he said, then tilted his head. “Although, it doesn’t look anything like a bear either,” he muttered and Jordan giggled. “Stupid constellations not looking anything like what they claim they do,” Derek grumbled.

Jordan turned to look at Derek, smiling at how pale his skin looked in the darkness. Derek turned to face him before he could finish cataloguing Derek’s profile and raised an eyebrow questioningly. Jordan just smiled contentedly. “You’re ridiculously handsome,” he said simply and Derek snorted, but Jordan could tell by the way his skin looked a little darker that he was blushing.

“It’s too dark to see my face,” Derek accused and Jordan snickered.

“So not too dark to see you blushing,” he teased. He turned over onto his side and looked at Derek, who met his eyes and held his gaze. Derek was the first to move, rolling onto his side as he reached out, curling his fingers around Jordan’s cheek. Jordan’s eyes fell shut as Derek leaned in, already anticipating the touch when Derek kissed him. 

Jordan lost track of time as they kissed. Their kisses went from soft and somewhat experimental to more involved, harder kisses and hands sliding into hair and down sides, across chests and down backs. Jordan traced Derek’s abs through his shirt, and slid his hands up Derek’s chest and to his shoulders, pulling him so close that their legs were tangled and Derek’s weight rested atop him. It was only when he noticed how both of them were starting to react, hips pressed dangerously close, that he slowed their kiss and pulled his hands away, resting them on Derek’s waist. “Wait, wait,” he whispered when Derek’s lips trailed down his throat. He moaned softly as Derek nosed up behind his ear and pressed his lips to Jordan’s pulse. “Derek, hold up,” he said, turning his head when Derek pulled back to kiss him again. “Derek.”

Derek pulled away, lifting himself up on his hands. “Yeah?” he asked, and Jordan smiled at the patience on his face. Jordan reached up and cupped Derek’s head in his hands, palms cradling his jaw.

“Look, I’m not averse to where this is headed,” Jordan started, stroking his thumb along Derek’s bottom lip. “But I really wasn’t planning on this leading anywhere tonight.” Derek looked surprised and Jordan rolled his eyes. “I know you, Derek.” He slid one hand done to circle Derek’s forearm beside his head, thumb stroking along his wrist. “I want to prove to you that I don’t expect anything from you.” He turned and kissed Derek’s wrist, looking back up. “I want to show you that you’re more than just somebody I want to sleep with. I want to be with you, not fuck you. I’m _not_ using you, even if it’s just for sex and a distraction, like other people have used you.” He smiled up at Derek. “So as much as I’d _really_ like to do the whole ridiculous ‘making love under the stars’ thing, we should stop, because I want more from you than your body, and I wanna prove that to you, so that whenever it does happen, you can trust that I’m not going to hurt you.”

Derek looked down at Jordan like he couldn’t believe he even existed. The emotions on Derek’s face were a strange yet beautiful mixture of surprise, happiness, trust, and respect. Derek managed a small smile and he nodded, shifting more to the side before he laid back down, pecking Jordan’s lips before twisting to lay his head on Jordan’s chest, arms going around him. “Thank you,” he said, voice muffled by Jordan’s shirt. He looked up, chin resting on Jordan’s chest with a small, pleased, playful smile. “You have no idea what it means to me that you’re willing to wait so you can prove you aren’t going to hurt me. Nobody’s ever really given me that option,” he said and Jordan reached out, stroking his fingers through Derek’s thick, short hair, smiling when Derek’s eyelids fluttered and he drew up his shoulders when Jordan’s fingers scratched at the short hairs at the nape of his neck.

“It’s not a problem to wait, because I want what’s best for you. And you need the chance to make sure you really trust me before we do.” Jordan smirked. “Besides, I don’t want you doubting anything when we have sex, because you can’t fully appreciate my work if you’re not all there,” he joked, winking.

Derek snickered, leaning in to kiss him slowly. “So sure of yourself,” he droned, pulling back long enough to nuzzle their noses together for a moment, looking Jordan in the eyes, before he pulled away and laid his head on Jordan’s chest again. “Thank you for making me talk to you, Jordan,” he said softly, curling his arm around Jordan’s middle for a hug. He shifted some, laying his head more on Jordan’s shoulder so he could look up at the stars again, and Jordan wiggled closer, resting his chin against Derek’s temple, looking up at the starts with him.

After probably longer than was acceptable for Jordan to add on to their conversation, so long that Derek was nodding off, eyes growing obviously heavier as he tried to keep them open, Jordan smiled at how adorable Derek looked sleep and he turned just enough to kiss his forehead and whisper, “I’m glad I made you talk to me too, because now I love you, Derek.”

Derek made a sleepy hum, nodding as he turned into the soft press of lips. “Love you, too, Jordan,” he muttered sleepily, smiling as his eyes slid shut and he tucked his head into Jordan’s neck. “‘M just gonna close my eyes a minute,” he said. and Jordan smiled, stroking his hand along Derek’s back.

“Me, too,” he said, though he knew good and damn well what would happen. 

They both fell asleep, curled together in a little nest of pillows and a cocoon of blankets, limbs tangled, and they stayed that way until the bright light of the sun rising woke them the next morning. 

~

After their ‘first date’, Jordan convinced Derek to come meet him for lunch sometimes. He didn’t have a lot of time off to spend with Derek when he was working on cases with the Sheriff, but sometimes he showed up with Stiles to bring Jordan dinner when Stiles was taking his dad his dinner. Jordan knew Derek felt awkward around the station still, so it meant a lot to Jordan that a) Derek was that concerned with seeing Jordan for just a few minutes at least, and b) that Stiles had given Derek a push and dragged him along to keep him from wimping out.

However, lunch at the diner on a shift day with John, Stiles, and Derek was almost too surreal. It made sense, because he and John worked together, he and Stiles were relatively friendly because of that, Stiles and Derek were friends even if they didn’t like each other that much most of the time, and he and Derek were dating. But it still felt weird.

It also made him a little paranoid because Derek watched him closer than most people did, and he worried that if he sat beside John, Derek would see something in them that tipped him off to the fact that John was his father. He knew he had to tell Derek one day, especially since they had dove headfirst with ‘I love you’s before they’d even had sex, but first he had to get up the courage to tell John that he was his father. He combatted this by sitting beside Stiles instead, which seemed to only make Derek look at him funny as he took the seat across from him, leaving Sheriff Stilinski and Derek side by side. 

Sheriff Stilinski was the one who finally broached the subject most people had shied away from actually talking about. “So,” John said, looking between Derek and Jordan. “You two still seem to be doing well.”

Derek froze, fry halfway to his mouth, eyes widening slightly in panic, and Jordan snorted at how funny he looked, choking on his water. Stiles rolled his eyes and patted Jordan on the back. “Great job, Dad. You’ve broke Derek and killed Jordan,” he said, and Jordan managed to cough up the water he inhaled, flapping a hand when Derek gave him a concerned look.

“I’m okay, I’m fine,” he managed, clearing his throat. He caught his breath and smiled. “It’s just… oh God, your _face_ ,” he said and Derek gave him a flat, unamused look. “I’m sorry, but really. It was too funny.” He bumped his ankle against Derek’s foot affectionately. “Don’t look so terrified.”

John chuckled, slapping Derek on the shoulder. “Relax, it’s not like you’re dating my kid. Then you’d have a reason to be terrified,” he said and Stiles mimed gagging.

Derek gave him a slightly disturbed look. “Well that was a horrible mental image, thanks,” he said, glancing at Stiles, who glared at him. He smirked and looked over at Jordan instead. “Sorry Stiles, you’re just not my type,” he teased, his eyes softening when he looked at Jordan. “I prefer freckles and green eyes,” he said and Jordan rolled his eyes at Derek’s words. Derek looked back at Stiles and gave him a sarcastic grin. “Maybe if you were older and better looking,” he teased.

“I’d still shoot myself before dating you,” Stiles countered and John rolled his eyes.

“Unless he was taller, played lacrosse, had darker skin, dimples, and brown eyes,” he said and Stiles froze, dropping his burger so that it fell apart on his plate, the tomato flopping off onto the table. 

“I- huh- what? No! What’re you even- Pshhh, whatever, Dad, that’s just-“ Stiles faltered and deflated. “Ah crap. What tipped you off,” Stiles grumbled.

John just chuckled in amusement. “‘Dad, you won’t ever guess what Danny did today at practice!’, ‘Man, I wish I was as good at chemistry as Danny!’, ‘That asshole doesn’t deserve Danny, he’s way too good for that loser’, ‘Brown eyes are so nice, too bad that girl doesn’t have brown eyes on this movie’-“

“Alright, alright, shut it, you,” Stiles said, throwing the tomato at his dad’s plate. “You’re a horrible person,” he said as John laughed openly at his embarrassment. “Seriously. Worst dad ever award. I’m going to buy you one for father’s day.” He hesitated, looking down at his plate. “Are you mad?”

John rolled his eyes. “Oh whatever, I don’t give a rats ass if you like a boy. I spent a good six months worried you were dealing crack or something, that’s the _least_ of my worries. Hell, I’m just glad you got over Lydia Martin finally,” he said and Jordan frowned.

“The redheaded girl? You used to like her, Stiles?” he asked, and Derek and John both groaned.

“Like her? _Like_ her?” Derek asked. “Stiles slept in the waiting room for like three days when she got hurt one time. He was more upset he had bailed on Lydia than the fact we almost died when he saved me from drowning one time,” he stressed.

John nodded, eyes wide. “It was sad, Jordan. Really sad. He came home one day in the third grade and told me his new favorite color was green and white because Lydia’s eyes were green and her skin was really white.” He gestured to Stiles. “I welcome a new ‘Lydia’ if only so I don’t have to hear the words ‘strawberry blonde’ as often anymore.”

Stiles smirked suddenly. “Hey Derek, remember that time Danny was in my room and you were in my room and-“

“Oh my God if you finish that story I will _eat you_ ,” Derek said in a strained voice, cheeks flushing. “Do. Not. Embarrass.Me-“

“Oh don’t get your fur ruffled, I won’t embarrass you in front of your boyfriend-“

“Stiles!” Derek nearly squeaked, shaking his head rapidly.

Jordan gave Stiles a confused smile. “Fur ruffled? That’s a weird phrase,” he said, and Stiles and John both suddenly looked at Derek in surprise. Derek narrowed his eyes at Stiles, and John looked at Jordan suspiciously. “Am I missing an inside joke or something?” Jordan asked, and Derek turned back, giving him a smile.

“No, it’s nothing, just something stupid, ignore them,” he said quickly and Jordan raised an eyebrow, but just smiled. He didn’t want Derek to be embarrassed any more so he let it go.

“Alright, if you say so…” He trailed off and shrugged. “Whatever, so Stiles!” he turned to Stiles suddenly, giving him an evil smile. “Tell me about this ‘Danny’,” he prompted and Stiles flushed but smiled, sighing dreamily.

“Oh God, he’s even more out of my league than Lydia, but I can _totally_ convince him! I’ve got a new five-year-plan!” he started enthusiastically, and Jordan half-listened while he smiled at the Sheriff’s total nonchalance at the subject. It made him feel stupidly warm inside to get the final confirmation that whenever the time came, his dad would at least never judge him for who he loved.

~

Waking up with Derek in the back of his truck that morning had felt so nice. Waking up in bed with Derek felt _incredible_. Jordan had had a good idea when Derek invited him over to cook him dinner that the evening was going to go where it had, but he had been so focused on whether or not Derek was finally ready and comfortable enough to make a move that he hadn’t even considered how amazing it would be to wake up tangled up with the man he loved the morning after.

Jordan was so comfortable as he lay with his legs twisted with Derek’s and Derek’s sleep-warm body curled along his back, the naked press of hot skin keeping him warm and comfortable even though he could feel that it was chilly in Derek’s drafty loft outside the covers. Jordan stretched slightly and hummed at the pleasant soreness in certain muscles that reminded him of the night before. He hadn’t been sure when he and Derek ate dinner together on Derek’s couch that the evening would end in their first time, but he had been hopeful. He and Derek had been dating a while without going further than them making out that night they camped under the stars because he had wanted to prove to Derek that he wasn’t using him for anything like the others had. He had wanted to wait until Derek was _ready_ , because he had suffered some pretty serious trauma, and Jordan wanted him to have time to heal and understand that Jordan loved him no matter what, so that when they finally did have sex, Derek could enjoy it rather than worry about proving his worth or, worse yet, focusing on what Jordan wanted from him after.

The way it happened was so natural and comfortable that Jordan was so glad they had waited. He and Derek had watched a movie before Derek got up to go put their dishes in the sink. Jordan had dozed off sometime in the interval between that and Derek’s return, because the next thing he knew, Derek was laying him down, having carried him from the couch to Derek’s bed. Upon waking up, Jordan was no longer sleepy really – it had just been a lethargy produced by a good meal and a warm shoulder to lean on – and Derek flopped onto the bed next to him, both of them lying side by side at first, talking about random things. They had ended up moving closer, and closer until they were lying curled together, whispering ‘secrets’ to one another as hands began to roam, slowly exploring each other’s dips and curves. The last ‘secret’ shared before they began to kiss and lost track of their conversation was one Jordan would never forget, because the mental image of Derek Hale playing with Barbie dolls as a little boy was both hilarious and _adorable_.

Jordan had expected the awkwardness because Derek had never been with a man before. Derek had told Jordan about being unsure about a lot of things. Because he had thought about it, and because he and Derek had talked about it together before, they both went into it knowing it wouldn’t be perfect. Their realistic expectations and the trust they shared was enough to prepare them, and when they made love, Jordan couldn’t believe how _different_ it felt. He’d been with his share of men, both in ‘relationships’ and just for something temporary when he was in the army, but he had never shared the type of understanding and trust he shared with Derek and the intimacy gained from knowing someone well enough to love them. 

Jordan had honestly never had sex feel so overwhelmingly beyond just the physical before Derek, and he hoped that Derek felt the same and not just because none of the women he’d slept with hadn’t been planning to hurt him even while they slept together. With Derek, he had felt so beautiful, and so loved, and like he was something precious to someone, because he was with a man who had waited, and prepared, and talked out his worries so openly and without fear of rejection, and nothing had ever been more _real_ than that level of intimacy and trust. It hadn’t been perfect, it hadn’t been the best sex as far as technique that he’d ever had, but it had felt _real_ and it felt like something shared between Derek and himself, not the act of two people using each other’s body to take what they wanted. 

Laying in Derek’s arms while Derek slept on felt almost as beautiful and perfect as the sex had. He watched the sunlight creeping across the room from the big wall of windows until it hit the bed, making Derek grumble adorably and shuffle, trying to hide his face in Jordan’s neck in his sleep. Jordan couldn’t help laughing though, because Derek’s beard tickled his neck. Derek made a soft snuffling noise as he slowly woke up, arm tightening around Jordan as he stretched and shifted before he sighed and relaxed, lips pressed to Jordan’s shoulder. “Mmmm good morning,” Derek mumbled softly.

Jordan smiled and wiggled down a little so that he could turn over without hitting Derek in the nose with his shoulder. “Good morning to you, too,” he said, smiling when Derek peeked at him with one eye, clearly too far from awake to open both eyes. Jordan giggled, rolling his eyes. “You’re ridiculous,” he mumbled and Derek closed his eyes again, smiling. 

“You like it,” he teased and Jordan leaned in to bump their foreheads together some when Derek shifted to lay his head on Jordan’s shoulder. 

“You’re ridiculously _adorable_ ,” Jordan amended and Derek gave a pleased little hum. 

Derek pulled away some and yawned, stretching his arms up over his head before he flopped back against Jordan’s side, slinging an arm across him, only to whine. “Damn it’s cold in here.” He pulled his arm back under the covers and pressed his hand to Jordan’s belly. “Mmm, better.” He rubbed his cold nose against Jordan’s shoulder, too.

Jordan snorted. “Has anybody ever told you you’re a giant puppy when you wake up?”

Derek smiled and looked up at him finally with both eyes open. “Has anybody ever told you you’re beautiful when you wake up?” he countered and Jordan couldn’t help the big smile that grew on his face. “Even prettier when you smile,” he said, raising a hand to cup Jordan’s cheek.

Jordan rolled his eyes. “You charmer, you,” he said, leaning in to kiss Derek sweetly. Derek smiled against his lips, chasing a few more pecks before he finally let Jordan pull back. Jordan scraped his nails along the edge of Derek’s jaw, making him hum, tilting his head. 

“Scratching at my beard does nothing to fix that ‘puppy’ thing, you know?” he said, leaning into the touch. 

Jordan snickered. “If you haven’t learned before, I _really_ love your beard,” he said, sliding his fingers through the short, scruffy beard. “Not many men can pull it off like this. Instead of being ‘badass mountain man, grrrr’, you just look soft and sweet with it.” He stroked at his face. “Also, _damn_ your beard is really soft.”

Derek blushed slightly. “Confession time. I totally use a beard conditioner cause I don’t like it being rough and scratchy, but if I shave I look about seventeen.”

“Well I’m glad you do, or else I’d have _way_ more beard burn in some pretty uncomfortable places than I do today,” Jordan said, smirking when Derek’s eyes grew a little more ‘awake’ looking. “Trust me, sand-papery beard and sensitive skin is not a fun mix,” he said, leaning into kiss Derek sweetly. “And with the way you like to snuggle into my neck, I’m _really_ glad you have a soft beard,” he said, and Derek made a show of sitting up on one elbow and catching Jordan’s chin, turning his head both ways to look at his neck.

“Nope, no angry red spots,” he said, stroking his fingertips along the slope of Jordan’s neck. “Well, not from my beard anyways. Wow, sorry about that,” he said, tapping at a bruise on the base of Jordan’s neck. Jordan shivered slightly and groaned.

“I’m going to have to make an excuse to wear a tie to work, huh?” he asked, and Derek gave him a sheepish nod. He narrowed his eyes playfully and leaned up to kiss Derek. “You’re lucky you’re cute,” he teased. He fell back and Derek curled a hand across his ribs, stroking his side slowly with a playful smile on his face. Jordan narrowed his eyes. “If you even think about it, even your pretty face won’t save you-“ Derek smirked and Jordan’s eyes grew wide. “Derek, don’t you- AHHH!” Derek started tickling him and Jordan squealed, arching his back. “No, stop, hahaha, STOP!” he cried, trying to grab at Derek’s wrist, only to squeak when Derek pulled him onto his lap, making Jordan curl up with his face in Derek’s chest, trying to escape his fingers. “Ahh, stop!” he squeaked, and Derek finally stopped, laughing at how red Jordan had turned instead. “You’re so gonna get it,” Jordan said, trying to catch his breath. 

“Am I really?” Derek asked flatly, though his eyes twinkled with amusement. He curled his arms around Jordan’s waist, holding him as he sat on his lap. “What’re you gonna do about it, then?”

Jordan smirked, shifting his weight deliberately, sliding his hands up Derek’s chest and around his neck, making Derek tense as he pressed their hips together. “What am I gonna do?” He leaned closer, stopping when he was almost touching Derek and whispered. “I’ve got a pretty good idea of what I can do- AH!” Jordan laughed when Derek suddenly moved, throwing him onto the bed beside him and rolling on top of him. “No fair! That’s cheating-“

“No it’s not,” Derek teased, kissing Jordan, pressing him back into the pillows. Jordan giggled and grabbed the covers, pulling them up over their heads. Derek raised an eyebrow and Jordan shushed him before he could ask, leaning up to kiss him sweetly.

“It’s cold out there. What do you say we warm things up in here?” he drawled, sliding his hand along Derek’s side, reaching down to grab his hips, pulling him closer. 

Derek hummed and kissed him again, nodding. “Sounds good,” he whispered, and Jordan let his head fall back, humming happily as Derek kissed down his throat and across his chest in slow, teasing nips and licks.

The quiet in outside their cover cocoon was shattered, however, by the loud, grating sound of Derek’s door being dragged open. Derek tensed and pulled away, shoving the covers off as he sat up, instantly on alert. Jordan scrambled to sit up, leaning on Derek’s shoulder, only to freeze when the ‘intruders’ were revealed to be two teenage girls. 

“Derek! Please tell me your psychotic uncle isn’t around!” Jordan raised an eyebrow because he recognized the girl coming down the steps as Lydia Martin. “Kira, if you dragged me over here and Peter’s around, I swear to God-“

The other girl, Kira, Jordan guessed, turned and spotted them the squeaked, slapping a hand over her mouth. “Oh God, Derek, I’m sorry!” she cried, then covered her eyes instead of her mouth. “Ah, crap, I knew we should’ve called!”

Lydia spotted them and smirked. “Well, well, well, look at you, Derek!”

“Lydia,” Derek said in a sharp, almost dangerous tone, which made Jordan run a hand over his shoulders soothingly.

“What?! It’s about time you get laid, you’re always so uptight-“

“Lydia!” Derek positively growled.

“Oh come on, you’re a _man_. It’s pretty pathetic how you’re so picky you won’t just pick somebody to take home when-“

“Oh my God, I have a boyfriend, Lydia, this is him, this is not some random fuck, can you please shut up and get out of my house?” Derek snapped, and Jordan frowned at the girl that upset Derek.

Kira gasped suddenly, smiling. “Oh! You’re Jordan?! Awww, I told you he wasn’t lying, Lydia!” She said, shoving at the other girl. “Awww you’re so cute!” she said to Jordan, who blushed, but waved awkwardly. “See! Stiles said Jordan was real!”

Lydia snorted. “Yeah well, this is Stiles, who can believe half the crap that comes out of his mouth.” She waved. “Sorry, Jordan, didn’t think you existed.”

Kira giggled at them and then waved a hand at the door. “We’ll be back later, Derek, it wasn’t anything too important to wait until you’re not in bed with a cute boy…. I mean dressed and awake,” she said suddenly, cheeks going bright red. “Oh God, kill me. Bye!” she yelped, then grabbed Lydia and all but ran for the door, dragging a cursing, complaining Lydia behind her as she nearly dragged her down.

Derek sighed and put his head in his hands when they left the door wide open as they left. “I really need a locking door,” he said and Jordan shifted, curling his arms around Derek’s middle to kiss his shoulder.

“Hey, are you okay?” he asked and Derek nodded, leaning his head over against Jordan’s. 

“Yeah, sorry about that.” He looked at Jordan. “I’m sorry I’m friends with teenagers.”

Jordan shook his head and kissed Derek sweetly. “We should probably get dressed before they come back.” He and Derek got out of bed and went about getting dressed and taking turns using the bathroom. 

It was only when they were both dressed in some of Derek’s sweats and big, comfy shirts, and Derek was cooking them breakfast, that Jordan approached the topic he’d been thinking about. “So… do you usually get harassed about your sex life by a teenaged girl?” Jordan asked and Derek sighed, shaking his head.

“She doesn’t know my past,” he defended reluctantly. He looked at Jordan and shrugged. “It’s not like I go around sharing all my secrets with these kids. The only one I know that knows most of this stuff is Stiles because he’s _annoyingly_ observant. He really is John Stilinski’s son. He puts all this crap together when the others are thankfully oblivious,” he said with a snort. “Lydia’s a genius, literally. She’s got one of those crazy high IQs and stuff. But she’s still the pretty, popular teen girl who likes the stuff pretty, popular teenagers do. And she doesn’t know my history so obviously because I ‘look the way I do’,” he said, gesturing with his spatula. “And I’m as young as I am, clearly not getting laid every week means I’m just picky.”

Jordan chuckled. “These kids are in for a rude awakening when they get into the real world and realize it’s not all wild orgies and raging parties.”

Derek snickered. “Well, some of them are bigger losers than I am, so they’re used to it. And some of them are way too grown up for their age.” Derek smiled sadly. “And like I said, they don’t know my past. They don’t know how hard it is for me to trust someone like that.”

Jordan slid up behind Derek and curled his arms around his waist, kissing Derek’s shoulder. “I’m happy that I proved myself worthy of your trust,” he said and Derek turned to kiss him sweetly.

“I love you, so I’m glad I was able to get to the point where I can trust you enough to have this with you, too,” Derek said and Jordan smiled brightly.

“Love you too,” he said, pecking his cheek before pulling away. “Alright, I’m starving, so I’m going to go wait over there so you don’t get more distracted before you feed me,” he said, narrowing his eyes. “It’s just rude to wear a guy out so much and then take your sweet ass time feeding him in the morning,” he teased.

Derek smiled and shook his head. “Well excuse me, I’ll get right on that,” he replied, smiling at Jordan once more before he went back to cooking. Jordan just walked to the couch and flopped onto his back with a sigh, content to just laze around, listening to the sound of Derek moving around in the kitchen. 

~

Derek was snapped out of his ignoring Stiles and daydreaming about the picture Jordan sent him of Jordan cuddling a kitten that had been rescued from a burning car at a car accident while Sheriff Stilinski juggled the other three kittens in the time they had to wait for someone from Animal Control to bring a new cage since the owner’s carrier had been damaged in the crash. The next picture Jordan sent was of one of the kittens sitting on Sheriff Stilinski’s head while his hands were full of the other two and he glared at the camera. Derek just had time to fire back a text of, _You’re going to get your ass fired_ , when a rolled up sock hit him in the face, startling him into looking up. 

“Oh my God, who is the distractible teenager in this room?” Stiles snapped. “Derek, we’re talking about another possible supernatural threat, and you’re _texting_?” They were meeting in Stiles’s room to look some things up. Scott, Kira, Isaac, and the twins were all staring at him after Stiles’s outburst. Derek rolled his eyes then held up the phone, showing him the photo of his dad being ‘attacked’ by kittens. Predictably Stiles laughed so hard he nearly fell over. “Oh God, that’s too good!”

Ethan grabbed the phone and looked at it, then frowned. “Where are you getting pictures of Sheriff Stilinski and kittens?”

Derek took his phone back and huffed, but Kira perked up. “Oh! Isn’t your boyfriend a deputy? Awwwww that’s so sweet!” She tilted her head. 

Scott smiled from his spot laying on Stiles’s bed beside Isaac and nodded. “Yeah, man, that’s really cute. I’m really happy for you,” he said so earnestly Derek cringed at his sincerity.

Stiles hummed and spun his chair around to face Derek on the floor with the twins. “Look, I swear I don’t mean this to sound like I’m not happy for you too, man… but do you ever get a feeling something’s… off about him?”

Derek tensed, his blood running cold as his eyes narrowed. “What are you saying?” he asked tightly.

Stiles held up a hand. “I’m just saying that… well, you have a habit, Derek,” he started and Derek shook his head.

“ _No_. Not this time. Jordan isn’t like them-“

“Maybe not, but something is off! Have you noticed the way he looks at me and my dad sometimes? It’s just a little… weird. Like he’s paying _too_ much attention,” Stiles said and Derek’s heart twisted when he opened his mouth to argue, but realized that Stiles wasn’t exactly wrong. Jordan did look at Sheriff Stilinski with this intense gaze. He opened and closed his mouth a few times and then slammed it shut, shaking his head.

“ _No_. It’s nothing like that,” Derek defended. He searched around and gestured with his phone. “Jordan’s probably just overwhelmed. Sheriff does treat him like family a lot. He’s really nice to Jordan and looks out for him, and Jordan never had a dad. Jordan hasn’t got any family and he never had a father, so he’s probably not used to the way your dad is sort of ‘father-like’ to him,” Derek said with finality. “Trust me, Stiles. I _know_ him. Jordan isn’t a threat.”

“Yeah, Stiles,” Kira said. “Besides, have you SEEN those big, puppy eyes he’s got?! Kinda look just like yours. Actually, it’s like somebody took your puppy dog eyes and made them green. Nobody with big, innocent eyes like that can be evil,” she defended and Derek gave her a small smile. He always had liked her best.

Stiles sighed and turned back to keep researching, but Derek could tell Stiles wasn’t going to let it go. _Good_ , Derek thought. Stiles would find out for himself that Jordan wasn’t like the others. Jordan was the first really good thing that had happened to Derek in a long time and he _trusted_ him. 

~

Stiles was almost sorry he had even started researching Jordan Parrish now that he knew the truth. 

After seeing how fast Derek had fallen, no matter how ‘slow’ Jordan had taken it with Derek, Stiles had pushed aside the part of him that worried Jordan was like the others, trying to use Derek to get to them. He didn’t _want_ for Derek to get his heart broken. He and Derek had their differences, but he had seen Derek suffer enough for a thousand lifetimes. He wouldn’t wish another heartbreak on someone he hated, nonetheless someone he was at least begrudgingly friends with. 

However, when he’d started to notice how much attention Jordan paid his _dad_ , he had to push Derek’s feelings aside and worry about his own dad. Jordan paid a lot of attention to both his dad and him, so Stiles got worried. He never said it though. He didn’t want to push. He really didn’t. But when Kira had jokingly compared his and Jordan’s eyes, something clicked.

He had never really noticed, but Jordan _did_ favor his dad a lot. Stiles’s mom had had brown eyes like him, but she always said he had his dad’s mom’s eyes. The night after Kira said that and everyone left, Stiles had started digging. He had to really dig to find anything about Jordan’s mother. When he found her, he found the records that she had moved to the east before Jordan was born, but digging deeper, his bad feeling got worse when he found out where she had moved _from_. She was from the nearest town over. 

Stiles pulled up the pictures of Jordan and his dad side by side, and really looked, mentally trying to do some math. He could see it, sort of. Their hair was almost the same color. They both had freckles and light colored eyes. If it was true and his grandmother had been the one with the same eyes Stiles had, Jordan’s eyes were shaped the exact same as Stiles’s. Jordan wasn’t that much older than Stiles, either. 

The worst part was that Stiles didn’t know much about when his parents met, when they got married, and how long they were married before he was born because he had only been eight when his mom died, and his dad had never really been able to talk about her since she died so Stiles didn’t ask. As old as his dad had been when he was born, he could only assume they had been married a while, and even if they hadn’t been married yet, it looked more and more like his dad had _cheated on his mom_. 

He couldn’t help the way his stomach churned at the idea. The one thing he could remember clearly was how much his parents loved each other. When he was little, they always seemed so happy. And since her death, Stiles had witnessed first had how much it had broken his father and damaged him over the years. What if he _had_ cheated on her. What if that was why Jordan’s mother left before he was born? What if his dad had been married to his mom, so Jordan’s mother knew better than to expect help. Would his dad have _really_ turned his back on a woman who was pregnant with his child? And _how_ could he have cheated on Stiles’s mom? Was it before things got serious between them? Did he cheat on her and then eventually come to love her as much as Stiles remembered? Even if they weren’t married yet, how could he keep that big of a secret from Stiles’s mom?

The more Stiles thought, the worse and worse he felt. What if Stiles’s mother had been the ‘woman on the side’ and _Stiles_ had been tossed aside like a bad memory and never had his dad in his life?

Worst of all, what if Jordan had come to take revenge on the man who had abandoned him or the son that had been favored over him?

~

Derek was lying on the couch holding Jordan when his phone rang. It felt weird to be full on cuddling on the couch while Scott and the twins sat around the living room, but he liked that Scott wanted to spend time around him, it still felt like a novelty, but he didn’t want to sacrifice time with Jordan for that. Thankfully, Jordan didn’t mind staying in and watching a movie with the others, and he didn’t mind being close to Derek in front of the teenagers.

He hated jostling Jordan but he had to get his phone in case it was important. When he saw it was Stiles he tensed and then answered it. “Stiles, what’s wrong?” he asked, sitting up some, Jordan shifting to sit up beside him. Scott and the twins tensed immediately.

“Look, Derek, can I talk to you?” Stiles asked and Derek frowned.

“Is it important?” he asked slowly.

“Derek, it’s pretty serious. It’s about Jordan-“

Derek groaned, grabbing the bridge of his nose. “Look, Stiles, seriously, get over it and let it go-“

“Derek, I’m pretty much positive that he’s my brother.” Derek stopped, growing still. He closed his eyes and took a breath. “Derek?”

Derek let out a breath and looked up at Scott, who was clearly listening if the shocked look on his face said anything. “How sure are you? And explain, please.”

Stiles stumbled over his words before he finally spit out, “Lydia and Danny helped me find his DNA records from the Army and we compared them to my dad’s and we don’t have the software but we had enough information Lydia compared their records and long story short, he’s my brother… well half-brother.” Derek stared at Scott, who looked confused. 

“Does- I guess this is a stupid question, but does he know?” Derek asked in a flat, empty tone.

“Definitely. Why else would he come here? Why would he get a job at the station and get close to my dad like that? He’s been trying to get close. I don’t know why, though. If he wanted to find his father, why would he keep it quiet for all these months? I don’t- I don’t know if he’s the result of my dad cheating on my mom or not, but the timing is… close. And his mother randomly up and moved from California to the east coast just after she got pregnant so something made her leave.”

Derek frowned. “Your dad wouldn’t do that-“

“Wouldn’t throw away his son like an unwanted tee-shirt? Yeah, I didn’t think so either, but- FUCK. Derek, I don’t know. I don’t know anything anymore. If you asked me two days ago, I’d have never in a million years guessed my dad would have ever cheated on my mom, even if it was before they got married or something. And I can’t even imagine my dad ever turning his back on me, but the facts are that Jordan is his son and I’ve never heard of Jordan existing and Dad doesn’t seem to even know he’s his son. And he hasn’t told anybody so he’s getting close for _something_ , and I don’t know what. What if- what if he’s after me and my dad?” he asked. “I’m sorry, I wanted him to be good for you, I didn’t want this, but it’s suspicious as fuck that he’s with you out of all the people out there if-“

“If he’s after your dad,” Derek finished, barely able to breathe. 

Jordan grabbed Derek’s wrist. “Hey, what’s wrong with Stiles’s dad? Is the Sheriff okay?” Jordan asked, and Derek jerked around, looking at him closely. Jordan frowned. “Derek? Are you okay?” he asked, reaching up to cup Derek’s cheek. “Is everything okay-“

“I’ve gotta call you back,” Derek said, then hung up the phone and got to his feet, pacing. He pointed at Scott and the twins. “Get out,” he said, and the twins scurried to their feet, but Scott hesitated.

“Derek, I’m not sure-“

Derek’s eyes turned blue and he bared his fangs. “I. Said. Leave!” he snarled and Scott growled as he came to his feet.

“Don’t order me around, Derek,” Scott snapped, fangs elongating as his eyes flashed red. Derek winced and ducked his head obediently. “Look, whatever you’re thinking, don’t do something stupid-“

“Scott, this doesn’t concern you,” Derek said, but Scott’s gaze was fixed over his shoulder. Derek turned and saw Jordan was still on the couch, with his knees drawn up, staring at them both fearfully.

“What. The hell. Is this?” Jordan said slowly, carefully moving to his feet. He looked at Derek with wide, fearful eyes and Derek felt sick to see Jordan afraid of him. He was angry, he wanted to be pissed, but it hurt to see Jordan scared of him. “D-Derek, what are you?” he asked, his eyes locked on Derek’s fangs.

Derek closed his eyes and felt his face shift back. He twisted to Scott, who followed his lead. “You should go,” he said to Scott, and Scott hesitated. Derek sighed. “I’m not going to hurt him and he’s not stupid enough to attack me,” he said and Scott nodded. He patted Derek on the shoulder on his way past and looked back once before he headed up the steps and left, shutting the door behind himself.

Jordan watched him go then turned back to Derek, tugging at the bottom of his shirt fearfully. “D-Derek?”

Derek looked up, glaring at Jordan. “I trusted you,” he said gruffly. “I- I let you in and I trusted you were honest with me.”

Jordan frowned. “What? Derek, what are you talking about-“

“What do you want with John Stilinski?” Derek growled, eyes flashing blue though he tried not to let them. Jordan flinched away and Derek stepped closer. “I know you’re his son,” he said and Jordan’s head snapped up. “But what are you planning? Was I just a way to get close to Stiles? Is that it?” he asked softly, trying to keep the pain and anger out of his voice. “Was it some revenge thing? You were the abandoned one and Stiles wasn’t, so you want to get him back for that-“

“Derek, you don’t have any idea what the hell you’re talking about-“ 

“I know that YOU are John’s son and you KNOW you’re John’s son, and for some reason you’re using us all to get whatever you want!” Derek snapped. “You sold me all this shit about being better than the others who used me and hurt me, but what the FUCK were you doing?! Using me to get close enough to one of my friends for SOMETHING, so I’ll ask you again, _what are you after_?!”

“OH like YOU get to yell at me about lies and secrets!” Jordan snapped, stalking closer with tears in his eyes. “What the fuck ARE YOU?!” he demanded, looking at Derek with tear-filled eyes that made him look even more similar to Stiles. “You have FANGS and your EYES are glowing!” he cried, looking at Derek’s face. He sniffled, swallowing. “Why- why didn’t you trust me-“

“YOU’VE BEEN LYING TO ME FROM THE START!” Derek roared. “Fine, you want me to be truthful?! I’m a fucking werewolf. You can ask anybody you want for proof. Most of the ones I hang out with are werewolves. I was born one, my family were werewolves, the woman the murdered them was a werewolf hunter, and all this shit that’s been going on is werewolves! You’re not stupid, you can put it all together and figure out what happened last fall, so yes!” Derek threw his hands up. “I lied to you by omission, I lied about being a werewolf because I was afraid if I told you, you wouldn’t want to be with me anymore. I love you and I wanted you to keep loving me, not look at me like some sort of monster now that I’d finally found a person who I THOUGHT loved me for me!” He pointed to the side. “But you’ve _lied_. You were just like her. You used me to get close to my ‘family’. Again. I’m now the stupidest person ever to fall for the _same thing_ twice-“

“I NEVER lied about loving you!” Jordan choked out, face flushed red with anger. Tears streaked his cheeks and he stalked closer, shoving Derek. “Yes, I’m John’s son. No, he doesn’t know. But I had already moved across the country and got a job working for him to get close to him! I didn’t _need_ you for that. I haven’t told him because I’m _terrified_! I’ve lived my whole life without a father. John doesn’t even know I exist! My mom never told him she was pregnant. That’s the whole point of her leaving, to keep him from knowing. I’m fucking terrified of trying to tell this man that I’ve come to know as one of the best people I’ve met that he’s _my dad_!” Jordan took a ragged breath.

“And I didn’t even know if I was going to stay here after I told him before-“ He faltered and sniffled, balling his hands up in Derek’s shirt instead of pushing him away again. “Before I met you,” he whispered. He let his head hang, sniffling. “I met you and- and yeah, I like Beacon Hills, but I started settling when I met you. Even before we got together, I knew that I wanted to be with you. I bought a truck and settled into my apartment because I want to stay here. Even if things go bad with my dad, I decided I want to be here.” He looked up again. “And other than Stiles and John, and my coworkers, all I have here is _you_ , Derek.” He sniffled, shaking his head. “I wasn’t using you. I couldn’t do that. I wouldn’t hurt anybody, but I’d _never_ hurt _you_. You trusted me with so much and I wouldn’t ever hurt you or use you or do anything that would purposefully harm you, Derek.” He whimpered, pulling away. “I’ve got to go.”

Derek stood stock still, frozen in shock and sinking under the weight of all his _guilt_. He watched Jordan grab his jacket and start to the door. Derek unfroze just in time to call after him. “Jordan, Jordan wait! Jordan, I shouldn’t have-“

“No, no, it’s-“ Jordan took a deep breath. “You have no reason to trust me after everything you’ve suffered, Derek. I understand that,” he said softly. He turned and looked back as he slid the door open. “I really do need to go though. I have a shift later tonight. I can just go in early.” He reached up and wiped his cheeks. “I think- I think we both need some time to just calm down, okay?”

Derek swallowed hard around the lump in his throat and he nodded. “Okay.” Nothing would ever erase the heartbroken last glance Jordan threw at him before the door shut behind him.

~

Derek whimpered pitifully as he lay face down on Stiles’s bed. Stiles had sent Lydia and Danny home, and Scott had come over when Derek got there. “I’m the worst person ever,” Derek whined. 

Stiles sighed, patting him on the back. “Sadly I think that’s me. It’s my fault. I didn’t even allow for the idea that Jordan was just too scared to tell Dad ‘hey, I’m your son’.”

Scott looked up. “Do we still think he cheated on your mom?” he asked and Stiles winced.

“I don’t know. I don’t know much about when my parents started dating or got married.” He bit his lip. “But… Jordan’s not much older than me.” 

Derek rolled onto his back, looking over at Scott. “He was so mad at me for lying to him about what I am. And then I accused him of using me and he- he said the whole reason he finally settled into his apartment and bought a truck is because he decided that even if things don’t go well with telling John he’s his son, he wanted to stay here and a big part of that was me.” He put a hand over his eyes. “I’m such a bad person. I never react rationally.”

Scott smiled sympathetically. “To be fair, Derek, a lot of people have hurt you and used you. It makes sense.”

Derek snorted. “Except he worked his ass of proving to me that he wasn’t like them and I trusted him right up until I found out he had a secret.” He shook his head with a hopeless look on his face. “I don’t deserve him.”

“Oh come on,” Stiles groaned. “Derek, dude, he was suspicious as fuck. Yeah, you fucked up too, but I’m sure he’ll understand when you guys talk about it.”

Scott nodded. “Yeah man, it’s all gonna be okay, I’m sure-“

There was a sudden beeping from Stiles’s computer. He rolled his chair over and brought something up, only to gasp. “Oh fuck.” He dove half out of his chair, scrambling for his phone. “Fuck, fuck, FUCK!”

Derek sat up and Scott raised an eyebrow. “Stiles… what’s wrong?” Scott asked.

Stiles aggressively dialed numbers, eyes wide as he looked up. “I have it set for when I don’t have my scanner, and my dad took the last one- It’s really getting old, I like knowing what the hell he’s up doing, okay? I really want to know he’s safe-“

“To the point, please?” Scott coaxed and Stiles grunted, holding his phone against his shoulder as he ran to grab his shoes. “STILES!”

“There was a reported four- forty-four about twenty minutes ago,” Stiles said, stumbling into his other shoe. Scott and Derek both raised eyebrows and he spluttered. “It means officer involved shooting! Dad’s not answering,” he said, dropping his phone as he dove for his jacket. “Fuck, fuck, shit, damn.” He straightened up to see them staring. He huffed. “If it’s my dad, I sure as fuck want to be ready to go at a moment’s notice.”

Scott looked at his phone. “I could call mom? See if they’ve brought somebody in?” he offered.

However, before Stiles could accept his offer, _Derek’s_ phone started ringing.

Derek, Stiles, and Scott all froze. Derek carefully pulled it from his jacket and paled. “No,” he whispered, looking at the screen. He showed it to Stiles, who paled when he saw ‘Sheriff Stilinski’ as the contact. Stiles gave him a helpless look and Derek closed his eyes before accepting the call. He put the phone to his ear and took a breath. “Hello?”

For a moment he hoped with everything in him that just maybe the Sheriff was about to say something totally unrelated. But then he spoke. 

“Look, Son, I know it’s late, and I hate to have to wake you up for this but… well it’s Jordan. Something happened. You… well you might better get to the hospital.”

Derek dropped his phone.

~

Derek ignored Stiles running after him, talking his ear off the whole way into the hospital. Derek latched onto Sheriff Stilinski’s voice and ignored everything else as he rushed to get there. The closer he got, the clearer his voice got. He was just turning the corner when he heard the words he was speaking. “You mean you don’t have _any_?”

It was Melissa who replied. “It’s very rare and we’re not a big hospital, John. There might be some at county, but if they have it, it’s probably frozen it’ll take some time, and we don’t really have time.”

Derek turned to Stiles, slowing some. “What would be rare and probably frozen that they don’t have?” he mumbled and Stiles paled.

“Shit, they must be out of Jordan’s type,” he said and Derek gave him a horrified look. Stiles cursed and grabbed Derek’s wrist, pulling him into a jog. “Come on.”

When they got there, Sheriff Stilinski looked up and Melissa saw them and smiled nervously. “Hey,” she said, giving Derek a worried look.

“Hey, how is he?” Derek asked quickly, worried eyes turning to Melissa.

She sighed, glancing over at John. “Well, he’s holding stable for now, but he needs blood badly. They’ve patched him up but his hypovolemia is in stage four, and he has a very rare blood type.”

Derek looked at Stiles and Stiles touched his arm. “Means he has about an hour or so, which has to be long enough to get blood,” he said, and Melissa bit her lip. 

“I hope so, we’ve got calls out to all the hospitals in the area, but if we give him O-neg it will kill him, we can only give him so many other fluids, and we have to have time to get it warmed up before we give it to him because at his level, hypothermia might be too much for his heart-“

Stiles put his face in his hands and turned to his dad. “Dad, I’m sorry to do this without more sensitivity and all, but there’s no time.” He turned to Melissa. “Do you know either of mine or dad’s blood type? Are you sure we don’t match him?”

Melissa frowned. “Well, I don’t think yours is on record, and John’s too chicken to donate blood, so probably not. Why do you think yours would match Jordan though? He’s Vel negative. That’s extremely rare-“

“Yes, and rare blood types are genetic,” Stiles said, glancing at his father nervously. “Dad… he’s your son,” he said and John frowned.

“What? Stiles, what are you even talking about-“

“It’s true,” Derek said, looking at him with wide eyes. “Look, I know it’s hard to believe, and I only found out tonight- both of us,” he said, gesturing to Stiles. “But it’s true. Jordan’s your son. And even if he’s only a half-sibling, Stiles’s brother.”

Stiles nodded. “And siblings often share rare blood types. Parents too. So come on, type testing takes like forty minutes, we don’t have time to lose,” he said, grabbing Melissa and his dad by the elbows, tugging them both along. He looked back at Derek and gave him a nervous smile. “Your boyfriend better be glad I like him, I freaking hate needles.”

~

Stiles hadn’t been a match, but John was. It too some convincing to get Jordan’s doctors to take the risk of an un-disease-tested blood transfusion, especially in a multi-unit quantity, but Jordan’s heart wasn’t handling the lack of blood in his system well at all, and the decision was made that risk of irreparable tissue damage wasn’t worth the risk. After confirming the type-testing match, they immediately started the transfusion. Jordan would still need more blood later, because he had lost nearly forty percent of his volume, but they got him stable enough to receive a shipment of Vel negative blood from the county hospital. 

Derek tried to give John and Stiles as much privacy as he could as they all waited in the waiting room, but even he couldn’t shut his hearing off enough to miss their whispered conversation in the corner. He hated bearing witness to a private, family discussion, but when he thought about going for a walk and leaving, only to miss being there when Jordan woke up, it wasn’t worth it.

“I can’t tell you how, exactly, for plausible deniability reasons, but we compared you DNA and his DNA,” Stiles said and John sighed.

“How did you get his DNA? Hell, how did you get _my_ DNA?” John asked.

Stiles rolled his eyes. “I can’t _tell you_ otherwise you would have to testify against your own son in a court of law, but let’s just say your DNA is on the state DNA records database and his is on the federal military DNA records database.”

Derek actually snickered at the sound John made. “Ah crap, you’re going to Guantanamo bay if you get caught. Great. I’ll be the dad whose only son is in a federal penitentiary…” Derek glanced over and saw John’s face pale as he realized what he said. “Or… or not.”

Stiles was watching him closely. “Dad… did you really not know about- that you had-“

“Stiles, do you think if I knew I had a son besides you, you wouldn’t know, too?” John asked and Stiles winced, looking away. John’s face grew hurt. “Did… you think I would lie about-“

“Dad, a week ago, no, I’d have never thought that,” Stiles said. “But I’m working on the assumption that you at some point cheated on mom, so I don’t know what to think,” he said in a tight voice and Derek could see how scared he looked. Stiles looked up at his father. “All I know for sure is that Jordan never even knew his father, his mother was driven away from California by something, and you are his father and you never mentioned you had another kid. I would’ve never dreamed any of this was possible.”

John looked like Stiles had punched him in the stomach and Derek felt bad for both of them. “Stiles… I never cheated on your mother. I loved your mother more than anything until you were born. From the day I met Claudia, I never even thought about anybody else.” He swallowed and Derek looked away when John pressed his palms against his eyes, pushing his hands into his hair as he pretended he wasn’t wiping tears. “Jesus, she’s been gone for nine years, nearly, and I still can’t stop having moments of guilt because I want to move on,” he admitted hoarsely. “Trust me, Stiles. Jordan is not some secret I tried to push away. I don’t know who he is. I don’t- I don’t even remember dating a girl with the last name Parrish. But I can do the math, and I hadn’t met your mom yet when he must’ve been born.”

Stiles looked up, blinking as a tear slipped down his cheek. “Really? He’s not that much older than me, dude.”

John laughed, shaking his head. “No, he’s not. I guess it hasn’t ever really come up, but I met your mom when I was thirty-three, we got married just before I turned thirty-four, and you were born not even two years into our marriage. We didn’t date long, and we weren’t married long before we started trying for a baby. We were both older than most of our friends had been when they got married, and most of the time they want you to have children before thirty-five, so we didn’t waste any time.” He tilted his head, clearly thinking. “Jordan would’ve been born when I was… twenty-nine.” He shook his head. “I have no idea why Jordan’s mother would’ve just ran off and moved away without telling me she was pregnant. I don’t know why she never even let me know later on that I had a son. But I promise, I would’ve never kept it a secret you had a brother, Stiles.”

Stiles groaned, rolling his eyes. “Thank _God_ ,” he said, half-diving out of his seat to hug his dad. “You have no freaking clue how stressful it was to have to doubt the one person I trust most in the world, Dad. Like, no freaking clue,” he groaned, voice muffled by his dad’s shirt.

Derek couldn’t help but smile when he saw John’s face split into a smile at Stiles’s words. Derek watched them hugging and he really hoped, more than anything, that John would manage to one day built at least half of the relationship he and Stiles had with Jordan. He knew it wasn’t his place to wish that, but he wanted Jordan to be happy, and he knew nothing would make Jordan happier than to know that his father wanted him.

~

It was nearly morning before Melissa came to tell them all that Jordan was awake. Derek let his head fall to his hands he was so relieved. He could hear John and Stiles both letting out heavy sighs. “Thank God,” Derek breathed.

“He’s asking for an update on whatever happened,” Melissa said and John nodded, standing. 

“It was just a traffic stop gone wrong, sadly,” John said. “He pulled a guy over for a busted tail light. Turns out the guy had cocaine in the car, so when Jordan got to the window, the guy shot him and drove off. They got him next county over, though. Open and shut case,” he said to Melissa, who shook her head.

“Bastard’s lucky he got caught the next county over, the way Jordan’s friends with all our boys,” she said, glancing over at Derek. “Especially our oldest one,” she added and Derek rolled his eyes at her. She turned back to John. “You and Derek should probably go see him,” she said, nodding to the side as she looked at Stiles. “I know you’re worried too, but probably better to just wait out here with me.”

Derek started to stand, but stopped, slowly sliding back down into the seat. “Actually, maybe I shouldn’t go in,” he said uneasily.

Melissa raised an eyebrow. “What the hell for?” she asked bluntly, startling them all. “Last I heard, you two were sickeningly in love,” she said and Derek rolled his eyes.

“Yeah well, I really doubt he needs the extra stress.” He sighed. “Also I don’t know if I could handle it if he was scared of me,” he admitted.

Stiles nodded with a cringe. “Yeah, forgot to add that while I discovered and informed Derek about the whole ‘Jordan is my brother’ thing, Jordan found out about werewolves. Not in a good way.”

Melissa glared at Derek, who gave her an innocent look. “What? It’s your kid’s fault! Mostly.”

“Oh yeah, blame Scott, that always works,” Stiles grumbled and Derek glared at him. 

“Well I’m sorry I overreacted to thinking that I’d just discovered that the third person out of four people I’ve been with _in my life_ was using me to get close to people I care about. I may have overreacted, but I had good reason and it really was mostly Scott’s fault for ordering me to calm down. My back was to Jordan when my eyes flashed blue and my fangs dropped, Scott was looking right at him-“

“Oh my God, stop being a wimp, get off your ass, and go see your boyfriend,” Melissa ordered. “You screwed up, sure, but do you really think people don’t screw up in relationships? Trust me, honey, you and Jordan will have way more fights about misunderstandings if you plan on trying to make this last,” she said, and Derek gave her a worried, but hopeful look. 

“But I’m a _werewolf_ , never told him about it, and I accused _him_ of lying and using me the same way he spent months working to prove he wasn’t,” he muttered. “That’s way bigger than ‘who left the water running and flooded the kitchen’ or whatever the hell normal couples have big fights over.”

Stiles rolled his eyes. “Derek, I accused you of _murder_ and we’re still friends.”

Derek made a face. “Yeah but I don’t like you,” he said and Stiles flipped him off, yelping when Melissa slapped his arm for it. 

“Okay, Scott tried to _eat me_ and I still love him. Scott was secretly working with the same man who beat me up last year, and I still love him. Scott was busy trying to play nice and impress a girl’s parents when I was busy trying to not let you drown and I still love him…” Stiles trailed off, making a face. “Actually, Jesus Christ, why _do_ I still love Scott? He’s a massive failure at half the things he attempts,” Stiles said as if just now realizing this.

Melissa sighed. “He tries, Stiles, it’s not his fault he takes after his father,” she said and Stiles snickered, nudging her arm.

“Yeah yeah, whatever, the point is, Derek, even if it’s totally different and a family-like love, I’m always gonna love Scott no matter how bad he screws up. We get pissed at each other, we ignore each other for a while, then we realize that sucks and get over ourselves and hug it out. I’m pretty sure it works the same way for the other kinda love, only that involves makeup sex and oh GOD I didn’t need that mental image,” Stiles said, face twisting with dawning horror. “Oh God, my eyes!” he cried, slapping a hand over his face.

Derek saw John and Melissa both roll their eyes and he smiled, shaking his head. “Alright, but maybe I should go talk to him first and then get out of the way?” he suggested, looking at John. “I think you two are going to need to talk and I probably shouldn’t be there.”

John nodded gravely. “Maybe that’s for the best. I’ll come with you and just let you guys talk first,” he said, and Derek nodded, falling into step with John when John turned to lead the way. 

~

Jordan was so tired. He wanted to just close his eyes and go back to sleep, but he had been promised an update on whatever had happened. When the door opened, he looked up and tensed some when he saw it was the Sheriff. He wasn’t sure what he knew since Stiles had obviously figured some things out, but the weathered look on his face said he probably did. When Jordan looked past him he bit his lip, body relaxing even though he shouldn’t, when he saw Derek. Derek looked so scared and Jordan _hated_ that. Derek was looking at him like he was waiting for his sentencing. 

Jordan was upset that Derek lied to him about something so big, and he realized he must’ve lied about the details of a lot of the bad things in his history, but Jordan could understand. If people killed werewolves for being werewolves – and GOD it was weird thinking of them as a real thing – then Derek probably felt like he had to hide it, even if he had trusted Jordan with his heart. It wasn’t just Derek. If Jordan turned on Derek, he was only hurting him. But if Jordan overreacted and told someone, Derek’s friends – at least Scott, it seemed – would be in danger too. And honestly, Jordan knew hiding something from Derek was a bad idea. Derek’s history with his relationships was one that big secrets like Jordan’s were usually a sign of something horrible. 

Because of the level of understanding that Jordan had, the fearful look on Derek’s face broke his heart. Jordan waited until Derek met his eyes and he gave him a weak smile. “Derek,” he croaked out weakly.

Jordan knew forgiving Derek was the right answer when Derek’s body relaxed and he rushed the last few steps to Jordan. “Jordan,” he whimpered, reaching out to gently take his hand. “God, Jordan, are you- shit, of course you’re not okay,” he babbled, holding Jordan’s hand and reaching out to touch his face with the other.

Jordan closed his eyes, leaning into the touch. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Derek.”

“Oh my God, shut up, what are you talking about-“ Jordan cut Derek off with a glare and Derek shut up.

“Let me apologize, Hale,” he said, taking a careful breath as he shifted. There was a spike of pain even through the medication but it faded fast. “Derek, I’m sorry I lied to you. I’m sorry I hid who I really was.”

Derek let his head drop, pressing his forehead to Jordan’s cheek. “Jordan, I’m a _movie monster_ and I never told you. I’m pretty sure yours is less of a big deal.”

Jordan turned and kissed his head, smiling against Derek’s skin when Derek pushed into the touch. “I’ve never had anybody try to hurt me because I’m a human, Derek. You’ve had people try to hurt you just for being a-a werewolf, right?” Derek nodded, turning his wide, fearful eyes on Jordan. Jordan smiled sadly. “I admit, it hurt that you didn’t trust me… but I can see why you freaked out, okay? I lied about something so big and I just so happened to be dating you. It’s happened twice to you. You were afraid it had happened the third time.” He shook his head. “But I promise, Derek. You can always trust that I wouldn’t hurt you that way. You can always trust that I love you.”

Derek made a pained sound and closed his eyes, ducking his head. “I love you, Jordan,” he whimpered and Jordan’s heart broke when he saw tears in Derek’s eyes. “I was so scared you wouldn’t be okay.”

Jordan swallowed hard, trying to fight the lump in his throat. “I’m okay, Derek. Shhhh,” he breathed, pressing his lips to Derek’s head again. “I’m okay.”

Derek pulled away and reached up, cupping Jordan’s face in his hand. “But you almost weren’t,” he said softly. “Jordan, I know you’re probably pretty annoyed he found out your secret, but if Stiles hadn’t found out about you, you would’ve _died_.”

Jordan frowned, but then cringed. “Ah crap, my blood?” he asked.

Derek nodded, smiling as he glanced over at John, who was waiting by the door. “You’re lucky your father has the same blood type.” Jordan followed his gaze and saw how nervous and tired John looked. Jordan bit his lip, and looked up at Derek. 

“Maybe I should talk to him now,” he said and Derek nodded. Jordan shook his head when Derek started to pull away. “Forgetting something?” he asked and Derek smiled sheepishly, but leaned in and kissed him obediently. Jordan leaned into the kiss and smiled when Derek pulled away. “We can talk more later, okay?”

Derek nodded, pressing his lips to Jordan’s hand as he stood up before laying his hand back by his side. “I’d like to see anybody keep me from coming back.” Jordan watched with a warm feeling as Derek turned and walked out, pausing to slap John on the shoulder as he passed him and headed out.

Jordan turned his head and looked at John as he slowly made his way over and then carefully sat down, facing Jordan. Jordan could barely breathe as John looked over his face, clearly trying to catalogue every freckle. “God… you even look like me,” John whispered, voice ragged.

Jordan swallowed a laugh, and nodded. “Yeah. It’s- it’s how I was sure I wasn’t wrong.”

John put his face in his hands, and peeked up through his fingers. “Son, how is it even…” He trailed off and chuckled weakly. “‘Son’. Ha.” Jordan waited and John pushed his hair back. “Jordan, I don’t remember dating a girl any time around when you should’ve been conceived with the name Parrish.”

Jordan frowned. “But… you had to. I’m pretty sure Stiles had proof-“

“Yeah, pretty conclusive proof,” John said. “He got into our DNA records and his friend matched them. Add that they had to give you my blood since yours is so rare they don’t have it here, I’m pretty sure there’s no doubt. But I only dated one or two women within that timeframe and neither of them were named Parrish.

Jordan’s frown deepened. “So you don’t remember Nancy Parrish?” he asked and John looked up.

“Nancy? Her name wasn’t Parrish. Her name was Callahan,” John said and Jordan paled.

“My mom lied to you about her _name_ ,” he realized. He snorted. “Of course she did.”

John shook his head. “Jesus, _Nancy_? That’s the one I was dating that just randomly dumped me. She left because she was _pregnant_ and didn’t want me to know?” he asked rhetorically.

Jordan sighed. “Yeah, that makes sense.” He looked up. “When I explained why I didn’t have a dad once, she mentioned that she didn’t want to get married. She never stayed with the same guy very long when I was little. She said they all wanted to get married and she didn’t. I guess she figured if she told you, you would want to try to do the ‘family’ thing and she didn’t want that.”

John huffed, sitting back. “She didn’t think I deserved to know I had a _child_?” he groaned. “Jesus. What did you tell her when you decided to come find me?” he asked.

Jordan bit his lip, looking away. “I- I haven’t spoken to my mom since I was sixteen,” he said softly and John looked up sharply. “She- she kicked me out. For being gay,” he said and John’s eyes widened. “I didn’t know she would, so I didn’t hide it. I was fifteen when I met my first boyfriend and I brought him home to meet my mom and she- she didn’t like that at all. I made it a few more months before she made me leave.”

John looked sick. “You mean to tell me that you were on your own at _sixteen_?” he asked hoarsely.

Jordan nodded. “Yeah. I found a room at this old lady’s house and worked after school to pay for it. Then when I finished high school, I was eighteen, so I joined the Army. I didn’t have anywhere else to go. Then after Afghanistan, I didn’t want to have to go to college. That’s why I joined the academy to become state police.” He smiled uneasily. “It was so surprising to find out you were in law enforcement too.”

John shook his head. “When did you find me?” he asked.

“When the people I worked with found out I was gay, there was a bad reaction. People were just really horrible at work. I didn’t have anybody or anything keeping me, so I decided I should try for a new start. I figured ‘why not try to find my dad?’ and I got lucky because I didn’t know anything about him- about you,” Jordan amended. “But I found my mom’s old address doing some slightly illegal digging in her records, and her old roommate’s name. Then when I found her roommate and called her now, she remembered my mom. She remembered the last guy she was dating before she moved was John Stilinski from Beacon Hills. Then I found out you were the Sheriff and when I saw that Beacon Hills was looking for more deputies…” He shrugged. “I figured it was worth a shot. Better than anything else I had.”

John looked up, looking haggard. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Jordan snorted, rolling his eyes. “Because I was terrified! I got here and- and you’re _you_! Then I met Stiles and realized I have a _brother_. And you’re my boss, so I hadn’t thought that part out well cause what if it went bad and you fired me? Or what if you didn’t want me at all? And what if I was ruining yours and Stiles’s relationship by showing up unannounced. I kept trying to get up the nerve, but it was scary. And then at the turn of every bend you were doing things that made me so _happy_ ,” he admitted, sniffling weakly. “You invited me to do things with you outside of work, and you let me be sort of friends with Stiles, and then you tried to warn me off of Derek because you thought he was too messed up and you wanted to look out for me, not cause he’s a man, and it’s such a _father_ thing to do even if you didn’t mean to, and I didn’t- I didn’t want to lose that,” he finished wetly. “I kept- I kept trying to find a way to do it. And I thought so many times about telling Derek so I at least had somebody to talk to but THAT backfired spectacularly because, even if we can get past that, I _lied_ to him when I promised not to after all the people who have used him like that.” He reached up and wiped his eyes tiredly. “I’m sorry, but it was scary to think about it all.”

“Hey, hey, no,” John said, reaching out to catch Jordan’s hand, holding it tightly. “You have nothing to be sorry for. God, I can imagine it’s scary. Jesus, you’re sorry? You grew up without a dad, and apparently with a mother that didn’t deserve you if she kicked you out for something that is so inconsequential as who you love.” John shook his head. “I’m sorry, Jordan. I’m sorry that she left and you didn’t get to have a dad. I’m sorry I wasn’t ever there. I cannot tell you how much I hate that I wasn’t there-“

“Don’t be,” Jordan said automatically. He smiled at John’s surprised expression. Jordan shook his head, smiling sadly. “Look… it’s not all about me. You went on to have an amazing life after my mom, right? I mean look at Stiles! He’s such a good kid,” he said softly. “If my mom had stuck around, it’s unlikely Stiles would be here. You may have never married his mother. I- I survived being kicked out. My childhood wasn’t bad by any stretch of the imagination. It only got bad when I realized my mom was homophobic. But I survived that, and I learned a lot about life the hard way, but I’m- I’m in a good place now. I’ve always enjoyed being in law enforcement, and finding you brought me here, and to Derek, and I wouldn’t- I don’t think I would want to change that and take Stiles away from you and my own achievements away from me if I had the ability to have changed that.” He shrugged. “I’m- I’m okay now. That’s what matters.”

John’s face split in a smile and he shook his head, squeezing Jordan’s hand. “So apparently selflessness and strength is something you and Stiles got from me, then. Funny, I never thought of myself that way,” he joked and Jordan smiled widely. 

“Dude, I’ve noticed a _lot_ of similarities in me and Stiles, it’s kinda scary since we never met and grew up in entirely different lives,” he said and John chuckled. “Derek noticed that we even have the same eyes, just different colors.”

John laughed. “Funny, considering Stiles’s eyes are brown like his mothers, but yeah. I guess I can see it,” he said, looking at Jordan’s eyes. “The freckles and the hair are all me though, huh?” 

Jordan nodded. “Yep. It’s how I was really sure that you’re my dad, Sir.”

John groaned and chuckled.. “I’m pretty sure being my kid officially means you get to call me John, not ‘sir’, Jordan.”

“Well I usually call you John, it’s just weird cause you’re in uniform still,” Jordan pointed out and John nodded.

“Wanna know the hilarious part?” John asked, gesturing to his uniform. “Stiles wants to be in law enforcement too,” he said and Jordan smiled.

“Accidental family business, huh?” He laughed softly, only to trail off into a yawn. 

John seemed to notice his eyes drooping and his yawn and he let go of Jordan’s hand, slapping his thighs before standing. “You get some rest, okay, Jordan? I’ll be in after I go talk to Melissa and Derek.”

Jordan hummed tiredly, nodding. “You don’t have to come back, I shouldn’t be in too long. Think they said I need some more blood first, but I’ll be fine.”

John gave him a flat look. “My _son_ is in the hospital, I’m damn well not going anywhere else,” he said on his way out, and Jordan couldn’t fight the delighted feeling that warmed him from the inside at John’s words.

~

When Jordan got out of the hospital, the first thing he did was let Derek take him home and spend the whole day waiting on him hand and foot. They spent a long time talking about everything they had hidden from one another, and it was heavy, and it was a painful conversation, but Jordan felt like Derek was brave for making it through all he had survived. The truth about a lot of his adjusted stories hurt worse than the things Jordan had thought first, and Jordan hated having to see Derek hurting again. When Jordan explained about John and his search for him, Derek had reassured him that, even if he had been hurt by Jordan’s secrets, he understood why he kept them.

Jordan could tell that _real communication_ was something new for Derek. He’d lived a life so full of secrets and lies that he wasn’t comfortable opening up so much. Jordan knew that, in Derek’s mind, Jordan held power over him by knowing his secrets and the truths in his past, and he was so grateful that Derek still trusted him enough to share those things. He knew that, even if Derek was uncomfortable and needed to withdraw for a while after their conversations, Derek really did trust him a lot to talk so openly.

When Jordan was finally well enough to get up and walk around without pain from the surgical wound from the work needed to repair the abdominal damage from the gunshot, Derek was actually the one to suggest that the whole group get together to celebrate his recovery. Jordan’s only request was that they get burgers and fries from his and Derek’s favorite diner. They all decided to get together at the Stilinski house, and Jordan was slightly nervous just because, while he’d talked to John plenty in the days since their revelation, he hadn’t talked to Stiles yet. 

Jordan worries he had about the teenager having a problem with him, however, seemed to be unnecessary, because within minutes of arriving, Stiles and Scott showed up with the food they had gone to pick up, and Stiles’s first words were, “Ew, Derek, hands off my brother’s thighs when I have to see it, c’mon, man!” 

Jordan laughed as Derek looked at the hand not even in an ‘inappropriate’ spot on Jordan’s leg, nearly on his knee, then shot Stiles a challenging look and slid it higher. “C’mon, Derek, don’t do that, he’s the one with the food,” Jordan said, pulling Derek’s hand into his, squeezing as he twisted their fingers together.

“Better not be hands in inappropriate places, even if it’s our grown boys,” Melissa said as she came out of the kitchen and grabbed the food from Scott. “Everybody come fix a plate then go sit back down. Stiles doesn’t want to clean up wrappers and plastic bags from under his couch later.”

“Damn straight,” Stiles said, following her into the kitchen.

Jordan started to stand but Derek held him back and kissed his cheek. “I’ll fix you a plate, just stay put,” he said and Jordan rolled his eyes at how serious Derek was taking his role as ‘caretaker’.

“Awwww that was so cheesy,” Jordan called after him, grinning when he watched Derek’s ears turned red as he walked away.

Derek came back with a plate piled high with curly fries and onion rings with a burger buried under there somewhere and Jordan sighed dreamily. “I have the best boyfriend ever, you rock,” he said, making grabby hands at the plate. Derek snorted but handed him his plate and sat beside him. 

“You love your fries more than you love me,” Derek accused, and Jordan just shoved a whole onion ring into his mouth instead of answer. Derek sighed. “So attractive,” he said flatly.

“Hey, hey, hey,” Stiles said as he sat down beside Scott and glared at Jordan. “Curly fries _and_ onion rings? Are you trying to die before you’re forty?!”

John groaned. “Oh lord, here we go again-“

“Saturated fat _kills_ you,” Stiles said, aggressively pointing a fry at his father. “And he has a high stress job too, when he’s your age, he’ll have your cholesterol levels, don’t even try me on this,” he said. Jordan raised an eyebrow at John’s plate of carrot sticks instead of fries and Stiles pointed to Jordan instead. “You. More vegetables, less grease. I will _make you_ if I have to,” he threatened. 

Jordan snorted. “I’m twenty-four years old-“

“Best to start early then,” Stiles said, then pointed to Derek. “Make the choice to eat healthier yourself or I’ll show him all the statistics on heart disease and he’ll watch your eating habits like a hawk, dude.”

Jordan glared. “You wouldn’t-“

“Oh yes I would. Don’t test me,” Stiles stressed.

Jordan snickered. “Stiles… you’re lecturing me while eating curly fries,” he said and Stiles shrugged.

“It’s not curly fries _and_ onion rings,” he countered. “Derek, do you want your boyfriend to die before he’s fifty-five? You really should learn better than to feed him that way!”

Derek hesitated, and glanced at Jordan, who gave him a narrow eyed look. “Derek-“

“Well he has a point, Jordan. I forget humans aren’t as healthy as werewolves-“

“Oh my God, you are not going to get between me and my love affair with onion rings-“

“What if you do have the same heart problems John does?“

Jordan glared and Derek stopped, giving him an innocent, wide-eyed look. “You and Stiles are going to start running my life, aren’t you?”

“Just like me and Melissa run my dad’s life,” Stiles answered for Derek, and Jordan groaned, then aggressively shoved a fry in his mouth.

“You suck, Stiles.”

“Right back at you, Bro.”

Melissa chuckled. “The joy of being a Stilinski, huh?”

“Oh my God.” Derek dropped a fry and looked at Jordan in horror. “I fell in love with a _Stilinski_ ,” he realized and Jordan huffed.

“Hey!”

“But John and Stiles are _sooo_ annoying!” Derek pointed out.

John gave him a smirk. “Good thing I had a ‘hurt my son and you die, Hale’ speech prepared for when you ended up snapping and attacking Stiles,” he said, shrugging. “Now I just get to edit some parts of it.” Derek gave him a frightened look and everybody laughed.

Jordan continued to scowl at them all, but when he leaned back against Derek’s shoulder, he hid his smile in Derek’s arm. When he looked up, he saw John watching him with a warm smile that said he knew exactly what Jordan was feeling.


End file.
